Thoughts from Jasmine

The Foundation

2010-03-16T21:53:00.001-07:00

I've totally---well let's say I've altered my lifestyle a great deal. I wouldn't say that I'm a "gym rat," but the gym and making good decisions on my daily food intake have become a vital part of my life. I've lost a great deal of weight (over 30 pounds) in the last year and a half in part to my new lifestyle and the large amount of money I give Lifetime Fitness on a monthly basis. Anyway I say all of this to provide a little "background."

I was emailing back and forth with my old trainer, who recently relocated to Dallas, TX- last week about our lives- "I’m still working out with Alex! You were right we’re a good fit for each other, but I MISS you. So are you making friends, going on dates? Have you found a place yet? Doesn’t sound like you’re having too much of a social life…just a lot of work and workouts." Then I wrote something that really stuck a nerve, it sent a chill down my spine....

Remember BALANCE is the key to everything in life…that’s why the foundation is so important!

How's your foundation?

Due to my lifestyle changes I would venture to say that my physical foundation is solid. I've always been "strong," but I've done a lot and continue to do a lot of exercises that focus on strengthening my core so that I can be physically balanced. On the other side of the spectrum, I beleive that like old hymn of grace, The Solid Rock, my spiritual foundation is built on faith in Christ, "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand..." However, there are a few areas in my life where the foundation could use a little reinforcement...what about you?

I'm striving for a life filled with love, joy, happiness, purpose and abundant blessings, but I know in order for me to achieve this goal everything I do must be built on a solid foundation in order to maintain perfect balance.

Remember BALANCE is the key to everything in life…that’s why the foundation is so important!

I have learned...

2008-12-12T11:51:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I decided that I was going to be like Paul (the apostle) and be content in all situations. I was no longer going to play these self torturing mind games of If I did ----, made this amount of money, lived -----, lost twenty pounds, got married or had a baby that life would be PERFECT! More importantly I decided I was going to fully embrace my current state.

But then something happened a few weeks ago. I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but I walked right into a pity party going on in the middle of my living room. I love a party just like the next person however; I’ve never been a big fan of pity parties. I was sucked in; sulking and singing woe is me…it was a bad sight. Fortunately, for me and my peace of mind the party was interrupted by a phone call from a girlfriend telling me she was in the neighborhood and was going to stop by for a glass of wine. I quickly pulled myself together and placed the” happy face” on. Little did I know, but my girlfriend had been having her own pity party before she arrived at my house. My attractive girlfriend who happens to be a successful entrepreneur with a beautiful house, loving husband, supportive family and adorable children had been experiencing insecurities and frustrations in her life too. She was venting about the fact that her beautiful house needed to be cleaned, her loving husband and supportive family members were for some reason getting on her last nerve and to top it all off her adorable children were interrupting her sleep at night.

Our conversation and time together re-confirmed my original thought that like Paul we need to learn to be content in all in situations. There is no such thing as PERFECT. Just when we think we’ve got it all set, all figured out, were in a great place, BOOM something happens that if we allow it to by giving it credence and validation can mentally set us back or allow a pity party to invade our personal space. It’s the nature of the beast.

My mom always says, “Jasmine you just keep on living.” That’s all we can do…live our lives for ourselves, to the best of our abilities, contently marching to our own beat!

…For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.
Philippians 4:11

Sex and the City

2008-05-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

This my first published thought of 2008.

First let me say I can't believe how fast time flies. I cannot believe that it is May 29, 2008. We are almost halfway through 2008.

Anyway, I'm really excited....excited about what you may ask? Well Sex and the City(SATC)...the MOVIE comes out tomorrow and I am actually going to see it at 12:01 AM CST!

As I sit here gearing up to go to the movie, I have started to reflect on why I liked the show so much that I would actually stay up late on a school night to go see a movie at 12:01 AM. Since the show debuted I have had countless conversations with friends trying to determine which SATC leading lady we are most like. I have gone to NYC at least 3 times for Sex and the City weekends with various girlfriends. I don't know how many girlfriends openly admit they own a rabit or how many times I have seen each episode of the entire series (given the fact that you can watch every night on TBS).

I believe what SATC has given my generation is a pragmatic glimpse of single life through the eyes of someone else. It provided a tinted look of what it is like for 20/30 somethings in the 21st Century. There are several components of the show that are unrealistic or too over the top for me to digest, but at the end of the day it provided some comfort to know that it's okay to go from CONFIDENT and FABULOUS to SCARED SHITLESS in 20 seconds. It showed me that no matter what the exterior looks like it's the inside that really counts. It's provided dating advice without needing to pick up the phone. More importantly SATC has stressed the importance of having GREAT GIRLFRIENDS (GGs)!

So to all my GGs, THANK YOU. Thank you for being a phone call away. Thank you for listening to me repeat the same story over and over again. Thank you for stopping (or at least attempting to stop me) from doing something foolish. Thank you for the solicited and sometimes unsolictited perspective and advice you have provided. Thank you for being there to wipe away tears. Thank you for always having my back!

We are friends for life.

When we're together the years fall away.

Isn't that what matters?

To have someone who can remeber with you?

To have someone who remembers how far you've come!

-Judy Blume

Here's to SEX and the CITY!

Everything Happens for Reason

2007-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Does it?

Why do premature deaths happen, why are people laid off from their jobs, why are women raped, innocent children killed, why do some people go to bed hungry...the list goes on and on.

I'm really not sure why we experience bad things or suffer from unpleasantries, but on the other hand I don't know why we experience good things; love, happiness, unexpected blessings even luck as some would call it.

It's funny how we question the bad things in life and not the perceived good things. I believe that our lives are similar to mosaics. Our experiences, both the good and bad, our personal victories and regrets are the colorful pieces of tile, glass and stone that make up our mosaics. That being the case everything does happen for a reason. Our experiences shape and form our lives into beautiful pictures like the tile, glass and stone that make mosaics art. We need all of our experiences both the good and the bad to complete our pictures.

Everything does happen for a reason.

For those that may need a visual check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic

Life is Short

2007-08-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've always believed that life is short. No one knows the moment, second, minute, hour, day month or year they are going to die. One could choke on a chicken bone or go peacefully in their sleep one night. The point that I am trying to make is that no one is invincible and as Chris Rock said in No Sex,"...you're gonna to die."

Knowing that I am going to die has made me very intentional about the life I live. Those that personally know me, know that my personal mantra is Carpe Diem (Seize the day). I believe we have to make it our personal mission to seize the day. No one is going to make sure you are happy, that you spent enough time with your family, that you took vacation or that you went to the doctor for your yearly physical. It is each individuals responsibility to make sure that they are seizing the day.

I think Americans are obsessed with status, toys, tittles and money, but do those things really add to our life. They may provide temporary happiness, but they don't define people. When we die it's not the things that will miss us nor will they be our legacy. It's the people and the lives we have touched that will be impacted the most by our time here on earth.

Take some time to reflect on the life you are living. Are you living each day to it's fullest? Remember each day is a gift that's why they call it the present!

CARPE DIEM

Relationships are like Split Ends

2007-07-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't run out of thoughts. I took a little summer vacation, but I'm back now and I have lots of thoughts!

I just got of the phone with a friend and her situation reminded me of one my favorite JBS original quotes..."sometimes relationships are like split ends and they need to be cut" This can apply to both sexes, but I think women will really understand the point I'm trying to make.

Sometimes a woman goes to the hairdresser and is told she needs to get her split ends trimmed. For what ever reason she decides that she doesn't want to cut her hair. Relationships are like the split ends the woman at the hairdresser doesn't want cut. At times we end up in relationships (romantic and platonic relationships) that we know are on a slow train to NOWHERE. Instead of being proactive and ending the relationship, WE STAY. Why do we stay when we know there is no future....is it the companionship, the fun we have with the other person, sex, a fear of being alone or the status that the other person represents (I'm sure you could add a few to the list too)?

When a woman finally does cut the split ends her hair is healthier, shinier and prettier. And more importantly it grows back stronger. Similarly when we end relationships that are not nourishing to our entire being we make room for healthy, loving, positive relationships.

Do you have any split ends that need to be cut?

When I...

2007-06-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced that most Americans live in a constant state of "When I."

When I get a new job...
When I lose 10 pounds...
When I get the kids off to college...
When I get married...
When I turn 30...
When I get a promotion...
When I make a little more money...
When I retire...

The list goes on an on an on an on.

I find that most people are so consumed with reaching whatever the "when I" state is they fail to enjoy the journey that is life. They don't enjoy the phase of life they are currently in nor do they really appreciate the things (materialistic and non materialistic) they have already been blessed with.

Perhaps the most ironic thing is that "when I" never ends. It's a never ending cycle.

I am a firm believer in goals, plans and dreams, but we need to make sure we aren't missing the forest for the trees as we strive for our personal "when I." It's our duty to enjoy the journey that is life and to take time to smell the roses along the way to "when I."

A Dream Deferred

2007-05-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Misunderstood

2007-05-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best things in life are those which are often misunderstood.

I remember when I was younger (and even recently) my mother warning me not to become common. She was basically telling me to dare to be different in an "old school....read in between the lines" kind of way. She was encouraging me to go against the grain.

So often we become common as we fall prey to the status quo. We do things because other people are doing them, we fall victim to peer pressure or we try to keep up with "The Jones." The status quo is not necessarily a bad thing. In common land, people are often accepted and quite comfortable, but why settle for comfort when you can be GREAT?

It's okay to be misunderstood. Look at Albert Einstein, Terell Owens, Kanye West, Wendy Williams, Hillary & Bill Clinton. Several of the decisions these individuals have made have been misunderstood and scrutinized by the general public, but they have definitely left a mark on modern day society.

Be a little misunderstood. It's okay...let's settle for GREATNESS!

FINDERS KEEPERS LOOSERS WEEPERS

2007-05-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Remember that saying?

Last weekend I lost my wallet. It was turned in at the airline, but an employee of the airline tried to purchase gas with my credit card. HOW SAD IS THAT!

Focusing on the good in the situation- I'm happy they returned it to me and I'm grateful that American Express noticed a fraudulent charge.

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

2007-05-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

The Secret has bought a lot of attention to the POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING this year. It's amazing that it's taken this DVD and book to motivate people to change their thought patterns.

I firmly believe that we should focus on the good and positive in our lives instead of the negative. If you hate your job, be thankful that you have a job.

I've found that sometimes we have to look for the silver linings in our clouds. When you are experiencing times of difficulty focus on the good, if you can't find any good to focus on start small... be thankful that you are alive, be thankful for your health, be thankful that you can walk. By focusing on the good, you will see that the negative or bad things all of sudden seem trivial or superficial and more positive things will start to happen.

A Blessing to be a Blessing

2007-05-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

A Blessing to be a Blessing

The other day I was thinking about a friend that has been a true blessing in my life no sooner than I thought about the blessing she had provided did I open a fortune cookie with a fortune that read"by helping someone today, you may also be helping yourself."

I believe that when we positively impact the lives of others in any shape or form we inadvertently positively impact our own lives. Furthermore, the simple fact that we are able to help someone or provide some type of value gives credence to the fact are we already BLESSED.

I challenge you to intentionally help someone this week. It could be as simple as offering to help someone with carrying a heavy load, buying groceries for your for someone you know that has lost their job or calling your grandmother just to chat. Be that unexpected BLESSING for someone this week and see how your life will be BLESSED in return.