Do you truly feel your best? Are you happy with how your life is going? Or, do long for a different life? Maybe you want to travel more, move to the country and get land, or maybe are 90% happy, but your job is just dragging you down every single day.

You deserve a life you love. Truly! You deserve it – never doubt that.

So, you might be wondering how you make that happen for yourself. How do you leave a job that you hate? How can you make a move actually possible? Or, how do you leave a long-term relationship that just isn’t making you over-the-moon happy anymore?

It can be challenging to shake up your life and create change, to begin living your best life, but it is SO worth it. Here’s how you begin living your best life. It will take some work, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you will be much happier in the long run!

• Pinpoint what needs to change

Nobody has a perfect life. However, if there is something pressing that you know just isn’t 100% right, you need to pinpoint what it is, and then change it. You can’t start living your best life, until you are happy! Sometimes, this is just a small change in your life, like getting outside more, or it might be a bigger change, like saying “bye” to a relationship, moving, or switching jobs. Nobody is the same, so this is different for each individual person, and only you know what you need out of the life you are living, or want to be living in the future.

• Create a game plan & a goal checklist

After you know what needs to change, you can create a game plan and a goal check list. I always recommend creating 3-5+ small goals, to slowly work your way up to your big goal. Here’s a good example of this: 

Say you want to gain 10lbs of muscle and lose 40 lbs of fat. You could separate this out into smaller, more attainable goals so that you do not feel defeated, or lose sight of your big goal. Month 1, your goal could be losing 3-5 lbs. Month 2, your goal could be 2-4 lbs. Obviously, sometimes, things do not go as planned, so be prepared for failures along the way, which brings us to my next topic…

• Get mentally strong

To make ripples in your life and to bring about big, good changes, to begin living your best life, you need to prepare mentally. Change is hard, no matter how you look at it, and sometimes, change is not the easiest process at all. If you have a toxic relationship in your life, for example, it is definitely not easy to close it out. You will need a great, strong support team. Family, friends, and maybe even professionals. Do not be afraid if you feel “weak” during this process – it is totally normal to have plenty of emotions and there is no one-size-fits-all way to feel. YOU ARE DOING GREAT! Keep chugging along, get mentally strong, and get help, if you need it. 

• Surround yourself around positive influences

There is one piece of advice that I have for you, that can only help every single person out there. Surround yourself around positive influences and avoid negative influences in life. This can be a challenging one, but you know the saying, “you become who you surround yourself with.” Are your friends who you want to become? Do you look up to them? Do they bring good energy to your life? Are they uplifting, and are they cheering you on? If so, GREAT! If not, maybe consider finding some people who do motivate you to be your best self possible.

• Stay patient

During this process of change, you need to stay patient. Becoming your best and most happiest self does not happen over night. It takes time and effort. If you want to become a land owner, and raise cattle (just as an example), you will need to take the time to build a home, find cattle, and learn about the processes. This is the same mindset with ANY big change. Give it time! Slow progress is better than no progress.

• Shake your life up

Last but not least (which kind of goes back to my first paragraph), don’t be afraid to make changes and shake up your life. Big transitions can be SO good for you. They get you out of your comfort zone and they lead you to places that you might have never thought possible. Don’t be afraid to branch out. But, at the same time, shaking up your life (like a move, for example), takes work, and you also shouldn’t be afraid to call for help, when you need it. With a move (sticking with our example!), you’ll definitely need help. That is not weakness – it’s actually the opposite. Find ways to make this life change so much easier for you, like hiring people who can help such as movers, if you are going through a big move. If you are in the Utah area, I recently heard about a moving company called Movin’ and they do residential and commercial moving in Salt Lake City and all throughout Utah. They apparently have awesome reviews & go above and beyond for all of their clients.

Post by Guest Author Alex Berger.

The routine, THE ROUTINE!

This routine has been saving my pores from accumulating oil and dirt, which later turn into acne. I first saw this clay mask as a recommendation from someone on Instagram (I can’t remember who it was), and I decided to give it a try. Since then, I have been using it religiously every week, and my pores couldn’t be happier.

This clay is made of calcium bentonite that comes from volcanic ash and contains over 50 minerals. Bentonite clay has a negative charge, which binds to positively charged molecules or ions, removing all your skin’s impurities such as toxins, dead skin, and oils. It’s also antibacterial, and it has several other healing properties that have been widely studied. Just do a search on Google Scholar if you’re intrigued by this. ;)

1. I use an exfoliating mitten that helps to remove the clay out of my face.
2. Once all is clean, I use a tab of facial cleanser on a brush to remove the rest of the clay in my pores.
3. Dry the face.
4. I wait a few minutes to apply the other products as my skin is sensitive, and it might give a burning sensation if I apply right away—It’s like using a deodorant spray right after shaving. It hurts.
5. Then I apply a hydrating serum, moisturizer, and SPF. I keep my routine simple for the next few days, so my skin can recover from the intense detoxication it just had. 

The products I used in this routine:

• Bentonite Clay – Aztec Secret
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Heinz
• Soniclear Antimicrobial Facial Brush – Michael Todd
• Clean it Zero Foam Cleanser – Banila Co
• Hyaluronic Acid Hydration Serum – Replenix
• Peptide + Ceramide Repairing Moisturizer – Dr. Zenovia
• Umbra Sheer SPF – Drunk Elephant

When you see these pictures, you could never imagine that I hated cats while growing up. Yes, using the word hate is undoubtedly the right word to describe how I used to feel about these animals… I didn’t like cats because I was mainly exposed to feral cats, and they were not nice to me. So I based my experience on that, and my feelings towards them only changed when I met a lovely kitty that came to my door.

We fed him, and he kept coming every day to say hi. Something funny is that I took a bunch of pictures and videos on my camera. Later I was at the airport, and I saw a Brazilian celebrity, Serginho Malandro. I asked his assistant to take a picture of him and me. His assistant said, “the card is full.” I had to quickly decide to keep the cat’s pictures or delete them to take a picture with the Serginho, which of course, I chose to keep the cat pictures! LOL.

While living in Sao Paulo, my neighbor had this friendly cat that used to sit on the sidewalk. I often would leave a few minutes before my appointments so I could pet Nino.

Also, the internet cat’s memes got me loving them even more. That’s when I wished so bad I could have cats, but afraid of having an allergy attack, I stayed away from them. Then, I moved with some friends who had these cute kitties, I fell in love with them. She let me call them my babies, and I created an Instagram account for them to share some of the billion pictures and videos I take of them on my phone.

Cats now are my favorite animals! Who would ever guess it could happen?!

Wearing Lovestich Athena Top.