13 Easy Ways to Receive More Love and Respect From Others

We all crave love and respect from others.What if I told you that there are easy things we can all do to become better versions of ourselves and be more likable people? It really is possible, and here are 13 simple things we can try out.

1. Be confident in yourself.

When we are confident in who we are other people are more likely to be confident in us and our abilities.

2. Be inclusive of others.

When we include others, we are more likely to be included, and we will share a greater mutual love with others.

3. Don’t blame others.

When we don’t blame other people, we have a more positive outlook, and other people have appreciate that you aren’t placing blame on them.

4. Compliment others.

When you compliment others, you will not only receive more compliments, but you will also be a more likable person.

5. Find joy in everything, and radiate positivity.

There’s a quote that states, “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” When we look on the bright side, we radiate joy and love.

6. Instead of being interesting, try being interested in what other people have to say.

It is always good to engage in conversation and show interest in what others have to say.

7. Accept people for who they are, and there’s a better chance that they will accept you for who you are.

Acceptance goes hand in hand with love and respect. Acceptance provides a foundation for love and respect to build from.

8. Say goodbye to setting expectations for yourself and others. Love has no expectations.

Diminishing expectations allows love to be cultivated.

9. Forgive others.

Forgiveness shows signs of love.

10. Don’t hold grudges.

Grudges only hold you you back.

11. Put the needs of others before your own.

Selfless acts demonstrate love.

12. Embrace your uniqueness.

Something I am very passionate about is being authentic and embracing the things that set you apart.

13. Love others unconditionally. Empathize with them. Listen to them. Be there for them. Love and respect them.

Thanks for reading. Check back soon for more blog posts and updates regarding the ministry. In the meantime, check out Love to Live Ministries on social media. Have a blessed day!

Inspiration

I’m always amazed that God gives me the inspiration I need at the perfect times. The topic for my blog post this week was up in the air, but just a few minutes ago I saw something on the Soul Scripts Instagram account, and I thought that I could incorporate it into a blog post.

I read the words above, and I felt compelled to share them.

This will probably be a relatively short blog post because I think these words speak for themselves. They are not my words, and I don’t claim that they are, but they’re awesome words.

Take heart knowing you are more than your accomplishments, you are more than your social media account(s), and you are more than the person that people make you out to be.

Something about those words hits home. I’ve written other blog posts that touch on this topic, and I encourage you to check them out (#internationalwomensday, GOALS, Julia Reese and the Journey to Authenticity, and VAL-YOU).

Our worth is based on the truth that we are children of God, certainly not how many Instagram followers we have.

Stay tuned for another blog post next week!

#internationalwomensday

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m sharing a collection of quotes, mottos, Bible verses, and mantras from a few women who represent girl power at its finest.

We all have people we look up to…friends and family members who inspire us to do great things…teachers, mentors, leaders, athletes, teammates, coaches, classmates, certain celebrities…and of course our mothers because of the example they set and simply because they deserve to be recognized. Most of us have friends who encourage us to do great things. As a teenage girl, there so many women who I look up to. Think about all of the wonderful women around you. Let’s look at some of their quotes:

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!'” ~Audrey Hepburn

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” ~Taylor Swift

“I don’t want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that for myself.” ~Emma Watson

“Surround yourself with people who are only going to lift you higher.” ~Oprah Winfrey

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” ~Oprah Winfrey

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ~Oprah Winfrey

“It’s so hard for women to be happy for each other, like genuinely happy. Once you find that, you know you sound true self happiness.” ~Zendaya

“I always say, ‘Eat clean to stay fit; have a burger to stay sane.'” ~Gigi Hadid

“We all have a Wonder Woman inside of us.” ~Unknown

“If you’re always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.” ~Maya Angelou

“We cannot do great things, only small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa

“Beautiful people are not always good but good people are always beautiful.” ~Iman Ali

“She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” ~Proverbs 31:25

“Beauty begins the minute you decide to believe in yourself.” ~Coco Chanel

“Messy bun and getting stuff done…” ~Unknown

Disclosure: These quotes are in no particular order. Also, there are so many quotes to choose from, and I’m sure I left some great ones off this list, but hopefully you can get a little bit of inspiration from some of these incredible women.

I encourage you to share this blog post with women who inspire you. Comment down below who your favorite girl power icon is and/or a quote you love. Thanks for reading!

Go be incredible women!!!

GOALS

I try to get blog posts weekly, and they typically go up on Sundays. Well, today I had no idea what I would write about. I have a couple of things that I’d love to share and post, but I just haven’t gotten my thoughts on paper yet. I typically find my inspiration in the little things. For example, my mom texted me a quote earlier today, and I immediately thought, I can make that a blog post.

The quote she shared  is, “I know you have big dreams for yourself but don’t forget to appreciate how far you’ve come already.” ~Ruben Chavez

Goals Blog Post Quote Image

If you look back at the first paragraph, I promise there is a reason I shared that with you, so just stay with me.

I read this quote, and I thought, wow, I can really relate to this. I get so caught up in what’s to come and what I want to accomplish that I forget to recognize how far I’ve already come. Can anyone else relate? If you can, I’d love to hear about your struggle in the comments below.

I get busy thinking about all of the experiences I want to have that I forget to appreciate the adventures I’ve already taken. For example, I had the amazing opportunity to explore France and England last year, but instead of being grateful for that incredible experience, I often find myself complaining about all of the unchecked destinations on my bucket list. Another example that relates to this blog and ministry is that I often get caught up in what I want the blog to become without appreciating what is already is.

It’s so easy to get distracted by bigger goals. It’s easy to think about the big prize, but we don’t usually win the big prize at our first competition. We obviously need to strive for improvement, but while we do that, we must also be satisfied with what we have. We need to be happy and grateful where we are now before we can set and reach the huge goals we see in our future.

Thank you for reading this blog post and following along with my journey. I would encourage to follow the blog, share it with a friend you think might enjoy reading it, and check out the ministry on Instagram. Check back next week for another awesome blog post! 

“mini”stry with a BIG Impact

I’d like to positively impact the world. There are days when I feel as though I can do anything. There are also days when I fall victim to serious self-doubt because I see our broken world, and I struggle to see how I can help heal.

As of February 2018, this ministry is really just a blog; however, I’d like it to be more in a year. While I have big plans, I also know I don’t have to wait for everything to fall into place to try to make a difference.

Right now it may be small, but everything starts small. The word ministry has mini in it, after all. I have some really exciting visions for the ministry, and I encourage you to follow along with me as we take this journey.

I hope that Love to Live Ministries will become a community of people who live lives they love and leave an impact. The size of the impact doesn’t matter, because when we each positively impact the world in some way, shape, or form, we can do amazing things.

Mother Teresa said, “Small acts change the world.”

As I’m writing this blog post, I started thinking about how I can impact the world without doing things that aren’t always perfect and planned. I have huge goals, and while they may be reachable and attainable over time, sometimes I get too caught up in leaving a legacy that I miss the opportunity to do little things that bring about love and joy.

For example: I’m working on a project for the Kindness Crew here at Love to Live Ministries – a project that won’t necessarily impact a lot of people, but has the potential to impact a few people greatly. While I work on the big plans, I’m trying not to lose sight of all the daily opportunities in front of me.

In the movie The Book of Henry, Henry Carpenter beautifully states, “Our legacy isn’t what we write on our resume or how many commas we have in our bank account. It’s who we’re lucky enough to have in our life and what we can leave them with.”

What I’m really saying is let’s think big and small. The idea behind paying it forward is that if everyone did little things, there would be a big impact. Part of my message in this blog is to spread a little bit of love, joy, and kindness because no act of kindness is ever wasted. Kindness is a game changer and an easy way to impact the world – one within reach of everyone. It brings about a whole lot of love joy, and happiness. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do – you can leave a legacy, and you can positively impact the world.

Stay tuned for a new blog post next week. God bless!

Visiting a local children’s hospital

Lent: The Struggle is Real

Sometimes on the blog I focus on faith, and since today is Ash Wednesday, if you needed any last-minute inspiration for Lenten sacrifices you plan on making, here’s a glance at what I’m doing.

Lent is an opportunity for growth. Through Lenten sacrifices, I’m able to grow closer to God, strengthen my Christian faith, and make improvements to myself that will help me become the best version of myself. Why, then, do I always struggle to decide what I will give up or take on for Lent? I always overthink what I am going to do because I want to do something meaningful that is still manageable. I want to do something that will impact my life after the 40 days end.

This Lenten season I’m doing multiple things. The first thing is actually allowing me to take something on while still giving things up. I’m going to slowly declutter my life. Our society puts so much focus on material items, and I have too many things in my little life.

Every day I’m going to take one little section of my bedroom, one drawer, one shelf, etc., and go through that one section, so that I am left with less mess and more visual peace. This practice also gives me the opportunity to give away and donate things I no longer need. For example, I don’t need 20 t-shirts in a drawer when I don’t wear all of them, so I could donate a few to someone who might not have access to clothes without the generous donations of others.

Another thing I’m going to try to work on this Lenten season is following daily routines that I set for myself. I have awesome daily routines posted on my wall, yet I don’t always follow them. I’m not off to the best start this Lenten season because I was sick today, so I didn’t quite follow all of these routines, but I think God will understand. Some of the things that allow me to grow spiritually in these daily routines include journaling, reading devotionals, reading the Bible, and intentional prayer. These daily routines also include self-care, exercise, and eating healthy foods that will nourish and fuel my body. I hope that following these routines during Lent will help me to focus on them more and accomplish making these habits part of my daily life.

The last thing I’m going to do this Lenten season is push myself to live with purpose and intent. I often find myself going through the motions, but I want to live out God’s plan and purpose. I want to leave a legacy. Also, this Lenten season I’m going to work this blog and ministry that I’ve started. I’d like to dedicate a little more time and energy into growing a platform so that I can impact more people. I have incredible ideas for service projects that I should try work on and develop, and Lent is the perfect time to get started. There is a lot I can work on this Lenten season, and I’m excited for the spiritual journey I will take over the next 40 days.

This blog post is going up on Wednesday, not only because it’s Ash Wednesday, but also because my life has been a little chaotic recently. Check back in on Sunday for a blog post on impact. I promise that I will post a blog post on kindness soon – I know I’ve been putting it off for a few weeks now. When I finally do post my thoughts on kindness, hopefully there will be some exciting updates over on the Kindness Crew. 

Julia Reese and the Journey to Authenticity

I originally intended for this week’s blog post to focus on kindness, but I decided to push that topic to next week, after having thought a lot about authenticity and wanting to share that with you all.

Authenticity is is not about conforming to the mold designed by society, it is about staying true to yourself. Being authentic is about being real.

Be yourself – not your idea of what you think someone else’s idea of yourself should be. ~Henry David Thoreau

Personally, I don’t feel I change who I am to please others, but sometimes I hide who I am at heart. I get so caught up in striving for perfection that I forget to embrace who I am. I fight this battle with myself because I know that I am a unique individual who was not made to blend in, but there are still days when I find myself doubting who I am and what I am doing.

The featured image for this blog post was taken recently when I was with a close friend. Nothing about the image is perfect or staged. I have messy hair, a face mask on my face without any makeup on, and I’m dressed in casual clothes, but the joy I have is evident.

The lock screen on my phone gives me a daily reminder that, “A beautiful thing is never perfect.” I think of that as a reminder to embrace the glorious mess that I am. I am so far from perfect, but perfection is not a reachable, attainable goal of mine. My goal is to live authentically.

Live authentically. Why would you continue to compromise something that is beautiful to create something that is fake? ~Steve Maraboli

The word “journey” is in the title of this blog post because authenticity is a journey. Keep in mind that on days when you conform, the journey continues, and you can aim to be more authentic tomorrow.

Over the past week, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I want this blog and this ministry to positively impact the lives of others. I’ve also been thinking about how this blog and this ministry will always be a work in progress. I will probably never have a beautiful, branded, and perfect blog, and that’s alright.

This blog post, for example, is real, raw, and authentic, and although it could use some editing, it is a perfectly imperfect creation cultivating authenticity.

Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. ~Brene Brown

Enough about me. This relates to every single one of us. If we are each authentically ourselves everyday, think of how many incredible human beings would be walking the earth. We are each amazing individuals with an indescribable value.

When we are authentic, we are our own kind of beautiful and we value ourselves. Be someone who stands out as a genuine person and let your true self be seen.

Adopting an Attitude of Gratitude

The dictionary defines gratitude as the state of appreciating certain benefits we receive. Really? That definition seems a little hard for me to grasp. Rather than associate with “benefits we receive,” I think most of us think about gratitude as appreciating the positive in what we have.

Good things may not always appear to be glaringly obvious, but we have to see the good in the bad. We need the bad days to appreciate the good ones.

We don’t have to be thankful for everything; however, we should try to be thankful for something in every moment. We should aim to be grateful for the seagulls in our life just as much as we are grateful for the supporters. The seagulls are the people who swoop in and poop on our parties or try to steal our joy before they fly away. On the other hand, we have the supporters who want the best for us and encourage us through the good and the bad. It may seem crazy to appreciate our enemies as much as our family and closest friends, but it’s a good practice.

People tend to associate gratitude with happiness. Happiness and joy are directly related to gratitude. Unhappiness is the gap between expectations and reality. A common misconception is that happy people are grateful, but, in reality, it is grateful people who are happy.

Gratitude is about recognizing the good things in life that we would otherwise take for granted.

There are tangible ways to be grateful for things. For example, I start every day off making a list of what I am grateful for in that moment. In my prayers, I thank God for all of the blessings He gives me. Although I express my gratitude for simple moments, I also use a twisted form of gratitude on the bad days. For example, on the dreary, cold mornings I can appreciate that it’s not hot. That’s a bad example, but it proves a point. Every night when I journal, I write down a specific moment from that day that I am thankful for. I do these things on the best days, and the worst ones, too. Another thing I’m going to start doing is telling one person every day that I am thankful for them and everything they do for me. It might be sending a person a random text or passing someone in the hallway at school, but I am going to make sure that someone knows that I appreciate them on a daily basis.

Another practice that allows for gratitude is one I learned quite some time ago and something I should practice a lot more often. A few years ago, someone told me that when I found myself complaining I should list ten things I am grateful for in that moment. Not only does the practice allow me to reframe my mindset, it gives me the opportunity to understand that I have an abundance of blessings and I should stop complaining. One more great thing this practice does is give me an opportunity to forget what I was complaining about. We could all use simple acts of gratitude throughout the day to maintain a positive outlook on life.

I would encourage you to tell someone that you are thankful for them today. It means a lot to people when they get an out-of-the-blue text from someone expressing gratitude. It means so much to me when a long-time friend shares a blog post on gratitude, and says, “Hey! I’m counting you in my blessings today.” Those texts are the best, and I would encourage you to send more of those. Take a break from gossiping and complaining, and appreciate the extraordinary people around you.

I don’t want to close this blog without thanking my readers. I’m definitely grateful for followers as I am just starting my blog. I hope you will agree that having an attitude of gratitude allows us to let more positivity in, resulting in a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog post on kindness – my sweet younger brother can’t wait to help me write it.

VAL-YOU

We give value to everything. Cars, houses, and people are all worth something to someone. When we value someone or something, we give it worth because we believe that this person or thing is important and beneficial to us.

We value our family and friends. We value technology. We value material items and new opportunities. We value many people and things, yet we all tend to undervalue ourselves.

If other people add value to our lives, and we add value to their lives, why cannot we not see the value that we have?

We each have an indescribable value. We are priceless, yet so often when people compliment us we don’t believe their words. For instance, the last time someone told you that you are strong, beautiful, and good enough, did you believe them or just pretend to? More often than not, we diminish our own worth. We don’t all undermine ourselves in the same ways, but we all tear ourselves down.

Are you your greatest friend or your worst enemy? Self-worth isn’t the same as confidence because, in order to display confidence, we must first value ourselves. We have to build an internal support system so that we can be our biggest supporter.

Would we live our lives differently if we knew for a fact that we were priceless? In reality, we are worth more than all of the diamonds, pearls, and jewels in the world. We may feel like we don’t measure up, but what are we trying to measure up to… perfection? Perfection does not equate to worth.

As you may have heard, your value does not decrease based on someone else’s ability to see your worth. You determine your value. When we compare ourselves to others, we determine whether or not we measure up to their terms. Their terms are not what matters. Our journeys are unique and not worthy of comparison to someone else’s journey. We find happiness and joy when we stop comparing ourselves to others. With that happiness and joy comes self-worth.

Last week’s blog post talked about beauty. Outer beauty doesn’t impact our value, but our inner beauty does. When we recognize our own unique beauty, we can understand our worth more clearly. The same God who created the mountains and the sea created you and me. Imagine that you valued yourself as much as you value the sunrise from the mountaintops or the sunset by the sea. That would be pretty incredible, right? We are worth just as much as the tallest mountain and the deepest sea because our value is incomparable to anything else.

Embrace your quirkiness, your imperfections, and your individuality.

Check in next Sunday for a blog post on gratitude.

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

Images are superficial. How we look has a huge impact on our lives, but it doesn’t have to.

There are more than 7.6 billion people currently inhabiting the earth. Only 5% of those people have the gene pool that makes a traditional model’s body. Whether or not you have society’s version of a beautiful body is not what makes you beautiful.

Authentic beauty is more about what’s on the inside. Internal beauty shines through to the outside. Beauty is about originality and staying true to yourself. When was the last time someone told you that you are beautiful? If you can’t remember, I will tell you right now that you are beautiful. When was the last time you told yourself that you are beautiful? Tell yourself right now that you are beautiful. Give yourself the affirmation and credit that you deserve.

The dictionary defines beauty as attractiveness. Beauty is supposedly a perfect and pleasing image. What does that even mean? Perfect is so overrated. Who or what do you think of when you think about beauty? A lot of girls and young women today think of the beautiful model they saw on the cover of a magazine or someone else’s Instagram account. The truth is the photo on the cover of the magazine is a created and constructed image. Don’t get me wrong, the people on the covers of magazines are gorgeous, but Photoshop and editing help create flawless images.

Beauty is not found through being flawless, it’s actually found through our flaws. Our flaws make us unique. What makes us unique is what makes us distinctly beautiful.

Aesthetically pleasing people are hard to find because beauty is dependent upon one person’s opinion at one point in time. We can’t control other people’s opinions, but we can control what we think of ourselves.

What makes us unique is what makes us distinctly beautiful.

Our society puts so much focus on outer beauty, but let’s focus on our inner beauty.

We are the most beautiful when we embrace who we are. We are: amazing, beautiful, captivating, dazzling, exciting, fabulous, great, human, incredible, joyful, kind, loved, mystifying, notable, outstanding, playful, quaint, rowdy, strong, talented, unique, vibrant, wacky, xenial, young, and zealous.

According to Dove, only 11% of girls today consider themselves beautiful. That’s crazy.

We don’t have to measure up to the idea of beauty today. We have to be confident in who we are. We were created by a great God, and He made us in His image and likeness. He designed us perfectly. Song of Songs 4:7 reminds us, “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

When I think of beauty, I don’t often think of the prettiest girl in school because she probably isn’t the first person I would choose to hang out with. I want to surround myself with people who are more than just pretty. I want to be around people who are beautiful, and have something to offer under the surface. Chances are if you took the time to read this blog post, you care about inner beauty, and you have an abundance of it inside of you.

Let’s go be beautiful this week!

If you know anyone who you think would benefit from giving this a quick read, share it.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog on value and worth.