20 Tips for a Positive New Year

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible. As Henry Ford would say…”Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”

2. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is_______________________. (and EACH of us have a purpose)

3. Take a morning walk of gratitude. With those endorphins flowing, it will create a fertile mind ready for success.

4. Instead of being disappointed about where you are think optimistically about where you are going. Don’t play the “what if” game, concentrate on the steps you are taking now.

5. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, debbie downers, negative thoughts or things you cannot control

6. Transform adversity into success by deciding that change is not your enemy but your friend. In the challenge discover the opportunity.

7. Make a difference in the lives of others.

8. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

9. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, debbie downers, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

11. Live with the Feisty 3’s: Choice, Courage and Love.

12. Remember there’s no substitute for hard work.

13. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.

14. Instead of complaining focus on solutions. It’s the key to innovation.

15. Read more books than you did in 2012. I’ll post a few good ones for you this year so check back!

16. Learn from mistakes and let them teach you to make positive changes.

17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.

18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

• I am thankful for __________.
• Today I accomplished____________.

19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Aromatherapy Blends to Relieve Christmas Stress

It’s almost Christmas!!! And that could mean for some of us – a lot of different emotions and moods. Mostly, we like to think of Christmas as a happy, memorable time however stress still manages to get its ugly head into our fun time. From family in town to possibly painful memories, you may need to ‘take the edge’ off at times during this holiday. And no, we aren’t talking about substance abuse people! We want to remain our feisty selves this holiday, so we take the edge off the healthy way – with aromatherapy! And don’t roll your eyes – this stuff WORKS. I just dabbed a little mandarin and sandalwood on a cotton ball after pulling an all-nighter of wrapping gifts and Bamb! – back to “All-smiles Ms. Fesity!”

Don’t know much about Aromatherapy?…Aromatherapy is based on the principle that natural fragrances, or essential oils, from certain plants or flowers can affect our moods, and consequently how we think or feel at any given time.

Practitioners of Aromatherapy believe that aromatherapy oils have medicinal benefits including antidepressant and antibacterial properties, and much more in between!

Certain essential oils can trigger physical or emotional effects on their own. For instance, lavender is a widely known calming agent (a.k.a use when in-laws are in town), whereas peppermint is a mood lifter (a.k.a. – if you unwrapped a gift that was a total fail). Other oils are blended to achieve a desired physiological or psychological effect, for example blending ylang ylang with grapefruit relieves stress.
The following are popular essential oils (and blends) that corresponds to your desired mood. Add a few drops into a diffuser, a pot of hot water, or simply to a cotton ball and watch that Christmas mood transformation take hold!
*Do not apply drops directly to your skin; blend with carrier oils or lotions if you want to apply it that way.

Stress Relief
Bergamot, Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Patchouli, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang

Anxiety/Fear
Bergamot, Chamomile (Roman), Cedarwood, Frankincense, Jasmine, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood

Self Esteem
Bergamot, Cypress, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Orange, Rosemary

Sadness/Grief
Bergamot, Chamomile (Roman), Clary Sage, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang

Fatigue
Basil, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Ginger, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood

Agitation
Chamomile (Roman), Lavendar, Mandarin, Sandalwood

Isolation
Chamomile (Roman), Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Rose

Memory Boosters
Basil, Cypress, Lemon, Peppermint, Rosemary

Aphrodisiac
Clary Sage, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang

7 Tricks to Make Your Pores Look Smaller

We tend to have a love/hate relationship with makeup mirrors. They are great for applying makeup in detail however, they also remind us of what our ‘details’ look like magnified! Our pores are what we notice the most – especially when up close it seems as though they would be great for cavemen to hide out in – gross! So, let’s avoid this altogether with these 7 tips to make your pores look smaller…

#1 Wash Your Face – duh!

Pores look larger and more noticeable when they’re clogged with dirt and oil. The grit and grime can actually stretch them out. Use a cleanser that contains between 0.5 and 2 percent salicylic acid, and leave on for a minute to let the active ingredients get to work before washing it off.

#2 Exfoliate

Dead skin cells prohibit your pores to breath – another clogging agent. Take two minutes to exfolite your skin and make sure you deep clean areas where pores are more noticeable, like around the nose and on the chin.

#3 Use a primer underneath makeup

Celebrity makeup artists everywhere stress the importance of priming. Makeup primers are crucial at keeping oil at bay while filling in fine lines and providing a smooth canvas for your foundation to stick to. Remember to apply after your moisturize!

#4 Or use one on top

Didi you skip the primer because your foundation is on perfectly and now you’re noticing you can still see your pores? Try Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional—unlike most primers, which work only underneath foundation—this works on top to make skin feel and look super silky.

#5 Upgrade your nose strips

Those white strips definitely work but step it up a noych to really pull out those gross little pore-clogging daggers. Boscia Pore Purifying Black Strips are even better than the traditional kind, since they contain charcoal, which draws out even more impurities, and witch hazel, which temporarily tightens pores.

#6 Long term treat

For lasting long-term care, incorporate retinol and exfoliating acids into your night regimen. They help clear skin, getting the gunk out of your pores so they’re not stretched out and dark with debris.

#7 Use a long-lasting concealer

Make sure you test the consistency of concealers. Some tend to melt off within a few hours and we don’t want that! A good concealer plus implementing all these pore shrinking tips and you’ll be on your way to Pore-fection!

Top 5 DIY Holiday Gift Sites

So as much as I hate to admit it, I really like the gift-giving aspect of the holidays.  Why? Because I love finding the perfect gift for my friend and seeing her smile from ear to ear when she unravels the package.  I won’t be afraid to admit that I like getting a few gifts as well – especially girly gifts like skincare, makeup, jewelry and clothes. I mean, what girl doesn’t like these little surprises?  Just being honest ladies! But here is the thing – I don’t think it is necessary to spend an arm and a leg to make it special.  The best part of gift giving is making it unique to the receiver and keeping it within your budget. So I have compiled a list of sites for some creative ideas to get help you wrap up (pun intended) your list!   Choose to make your gifts special this season and enjoy browsing all these clever ideas…

1) 30 Fantastic DIY Edible Gifts for the Holidays

2) 3 Tailored Makeup, Skincare and Feisty Sessions for Your Favorite Girlfriend

3) List of 100s of Top Home DIY Blogs for 2012

4) Top 25 Best DIY Brands to Follow on Pinterest

5) Top 77 Jewelry Making Projects

12 Days of Christmas Feisty Style

Dance Your Feisty Heart Out!

Because you already ARE a Feisty Girl – you have the Courage, Choice and Love to implement the 12 Days of Christmas Feisty Style!  How fun is this little tweak on a classic Christmas carol ?!!  Sing with me now…On the twelfth day of Christmas, Feisty Girl suggested to me…

12 Compliments to Strangers (it will make their day!)

11 Bully-free Friendships (friendships are built on trust, love and respect – not fear or belittling!)

10 Toes-a-Painted (cherry red)

9 Ladies Dancing (agreed with the original – dance your Feisty heart out!)

8 Girls-a-Laughing (it IS the best medicine :))

7 Mouths-a-Smiling (it takes 43 muscles to frown but only 17 muscles to smile.)

6 Hugs for Friends

5 Cute Outfits!

5 Cute Outfits (duh!)

4 Self Love Mantras (YOU are unique, special and amazing – own it!)

3 Feisty Essentials (Courage, Choice, Love)

2 Feisty Girl Sessions

And a Facial on a Sunday Night. (Don’t forget!)…

The Power of Gratitude: The Feisty Girl Gratitude Thanksgiving Challenge

Have you noticed that the “Black Friday creep” is invading our day to be thankful? Our pysche is constantly being reminded of what we don’t have over what we do have. So why is it important to concentrate on the focus of Thanksgiving day and the meaning?…

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

Do me a favor this week (and hopefully continuously), adapt the “Feisty Girl Attitude with Gratitude” daily exercise. Every time before you eat, complete this sentence and insert the three characteristics Fesity Girl admires the most: choice, courage and love. For example: 

I am thankful for ______________________ because it gives me the courage to ____________________.

I am thankful for ____________________ because I love ____________________________. 

I am thankful for _________________ because it gives me the choice to ___________________.  Take a second and reflect on this exercise because it is these things that you are thankful for that promote Feisty Girl growth! 

Regardless of your circumstances this Thanksgiving, concentrate less on those because…

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Melody Beattie

The Pyschology of Black Friday

Alright ladies, Black Friday is just around the corner and I want to give you a few Feisty tips before charging out into the glorious world of consumer goods. And I am not talking about getting Feisty with your opponent’s shopping cart that’s vying for the last pair of discounted Chanel shades, I’m talking about checking your Feisty self before charging up your plastic. Let me first briefly touch on the psychology of Black Friday…

It is the ‘allure of a bargain’ that speaks to human nature. It is driven by fear. The limited-time-only nature of Black Friday triggers that fear of scarcity that drives people to buy, buy, buy before it all supposedly vanishes. This is the bait and switch that marketers use to cause your rationale to go out the window and your plastic be charged with extra un-needed $$$.

Of course I am always looking for a good deal – me and everybody else – but within this heightened limited time of the supposed ‘best deal day of the year’, we tend to be less rational.  Our decisions become purely based on emotions. Hence we end up buying more than we need because we think it is a ‘deal.’ When at the end of the day, did you really need to spend an extra $25 on a discounted designer soy candle? Probably not.

Outer Beauty Tips:  We want your smiling to continue right through the holidays.  We are not about to lose that gorgeous Feisty smile because of post-holiday shock from the charge card bill. So get out your lipstick and apply it to those lips because you’ve got a plan and the plan is…

Inner Beauty Thoughts: Having a list, knowing exactly who you’re shopping for and what your budget is for each of those people. Love yourself enough to not abuse your finances. Choose to stick with the list and have the courage to say no to those ‘deals’ that end up being only “stuff” at the end of the day. Your Feisty self will thank you come January!

Changing Skin with Changing Seasons and What to Do About It

Have you ever noticed how your skin starts to look worse during the changing of the seasons? Just like our weather trying to decide if it wants to be cold or warm when headed into the first few weeks of winter, your skin can’t decide between dry, normal, or oily skin (depending on your skin type). This often results in embarrassing breakouts and lot more time spent on trying to cover those up! The good thing is (kinda) is that you’re not alone in this adaptation time – it’s completely normal.

As the seasons change, so must your skincare routine. In the winter seasons your skin generally gets dryer, thus more moisturizing, natural oils and protection is what your skin needs most! Get Feisty with that dry skin and moisturize, moisturize, and then moisturize some more. You can hardly apply too much since your skin absorbs the added moisture so much faster in winter. Also less sun means less vitamin b and wind means less moisture.  Eat more olive oil and omega 3 to give your skin a lively look during the cold seasons. And ladies, DON’T do tanning that will make it worse in the long run – our mission is NOT to look like scaley burnt fish!

Outer Beauty Tips: In general, everything you do will affect your skin. Regular facials prepare the skin for the change of season and provide the perfect basis for healthy skin. Get a facial when summer ends to deeply cleanse your skin and revitalize it through massage. A healthy diet consisting of vitamin-rich winter fruits, combined with hydration (lots of herbal teas and water) and regular exercise will also help your skin stay radiant and beautiful

Inner Beauty Thoughts: Remember that your skin is a reflection of your inner self—Have the courage to say no to extra unimportant activities and choose to grant yourself some downtime if you need it. Get enough sleep and try not to stress too much. Your skin will love you for it!

Hiding Behind the Mask of Makeup

It’s almost Halloween!  Don’t you just love dressing up? I do!  Once a year most of us enjoy dressing up, hiding ourselves behind lots  of polyester, tulle, face paint and spandex. We all get to appreciate everyone’s imagination come to life in a visual costume. And because it’s once a year, it’s special and accepted.  Now, if it were every day and this wasn’t your day job, it wouldn’t be so special. Quite frankly… you’d be noted as a ‘certified crazy.’

This same concept applies to how we wear our daily ‘face mask’ – our makeup. Are you one of those girls who spends more than a few minutes applying eye shadow? Do you slap on the foundation? Are you afraid to leave the house without makeup on? Well sit down for this one because if you are saying ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you are totally missing the point of why makeup was invented! Makeup was not invented as a mask to hide behind, it was invented to enhance what is already there! Save the mask of makeup for only those special occasions – like we save dressing up in a costume once a year for Halloween. Instead, go lighter and use it to enhance your beauty.

Inner Beauty Thoughts: By using makeup to ENHANCE your NATURAL beauty you’ll look so much more alive and energized! Get the courage to love yourself and make the choice to enhance your face rather than hide it!

Outer Beauty Tips: Refer to these websites for great ways to enhance your natural beauty with makeup!

A New Mode

Get the Dream: Natural Face

5 Beauty Enhancing Tips for Teenage Girls

 

A Personal Story: How Dawn Got Feisty with Breast Cancer

I am a Survivor!

Meet Dawn, one of our favorite strong, surviving Feisty Girls!  Dawn understands what it is like to be bullied by an unforeseen threat. This threat grew quickly and turned into a fierce attack on Dawn’s physical well-being. It was one of the biggest bullies Dawn has ever had to face and get feisty with. This bully is one of the biggest bullies we have to contend with today…this bully is cancer. Below is Dawn’s personal story of how she got feisty with breast cancer with shared insights to help you beat this bully too…

1)    When did you find out you were diagnosed with breast cancer?

  I found out that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2007.  I had put off having my routine age 50 colonoscopy for 5 years, and finally decided to go through with it.  The colonoscopy turned out fine, but the doctor wrote an order for bloodwork based on some information that I gave him prior to the procedure.  When the results came back, he called me immediately and told me that I needed to go to a Hematologist as soon as possible, due to an extremely low platelet count.  That started the ball rolling toward my diagnosis of breast cancer found only in my liver.

2)    What emotions did you have to work through upon this realization?

I wasn’t sure how to “feel”, who to tell, and what to change in my life.  I really did not want to tell a lot of people because I did not want the cancer to become a distraction in my life, and we were still trying to figure out what was going to happen – what treatments, etc., I would need.

3)    Did you have a lifestyle change going through this time?

I did not have too much of a lifestyle change, because I tried to ignore that it was happening.  I had to make some time for tests and doctor visits, so that caused some minimal time away from work.  Because my platelets were so low, I had low energy so that affected my level of activity.  I could not do everything that I had been doing. I had to pick and choose events to attend and needed more rest.  Because my liver was not functioning properly, I had to stop drinking alcoholic beverages and begin eating and drinking better and resting more.

4)    When/How did you decide to get “Feisty” with the cancer?

Getting feisty with the cancer – I weighed my options when the doctor gave me the diagnosis, and decided that some things I could not control, but that I would take control over the things that were in my power.  Those things included:  my attitude about the present, my outlook for the future, and how I behaved during the time that I had left.  The doctor told my husband and I that I might live a few years or a normal life span – they really did not know.  I did not freak out (although my husband did).  I felt that it would not help to panic, but that I would do what I could and hope for the best.  I wanted to continue my lifestyle as long as I could, and deal what came my way in the most positive way that I could, knowing that things could get quite tough and my attitude may change along the way.

5)    What made you continue to be feisty throughout the treatment?

Continuing to be feisty – I was very fortunate not to have to endure chemo or radiation, or even surgery right away.  I did have to and continue to need to take a medication that eliminates estrogen from my body.  That causes some significant and undesirable side effects in a woman’s body.  I guess that was when I needed to “suck it up” and say I will do whatever I need to do to take care of myself.  I am very blessed that so far I have not needed chemo or other harsh treatments, and that there was even a treatment that would work for me.  I don’t really think of myself as being that feisty, under these circumstances, but just having the diagnosis of cancer and the uncertainty of your future, creates a certain strength in a person’s character.

6)    What did you learn about yourself and others?

What did I learn about myself and others?  I learned that I am not afraid to face my mortality.  I learned that one should never give up hope.  There are many new medical interventions and you should move forward in a positive way, looking for answers.  I also learned that many people are supportive when you have a medical problem, especially something like breast cancer.  Even people that you don’t know will be praying for you and offering support.  Prayer and positive attitude, faith in one’s doctors and the medical system are all important to healing.  Most other people will not remember the details of your disease, but they will remember that you have cancer and continue to be supportive.

7)    What do you want to pass on to other women who are going through it?

Once you are diagnosed, you become a member of an exclusive club.  Do something positive with it.  Share your experience in an effort to pass on the knowledge and support that you have received from others.

8)    What “motto” or exercise can you pass on for women to continue to be feisty with breast cancer?

Take control of your life and your body.  Do everything you can to avoid cancer – eat right, avoid things that increase your risk factors, self-examine for lumps and abnormalities, get mammograms early and regularly, and become vigilant of signs of cancer.  If you are diagnosed, accept support from others, especially those that are “members of the club.”