Self Care is NOT selfish! It’s time to find out what you’re missing so you can learn how to fill your cup every day! Read up, join the community, and let’s explore life together!

Master Your Time, Master Your Life! I'm Excited to share my latest blog on Time Management and Time Blocking at www.jodiwatkins.com. Learn how I navigated the chaos of life and achieved ultimate goals through strategic planning. Dive into the transformative journey, from juggling parenthood to bodybuilding competitions, and discover the power of flexible scheduling.

In the intricate dance of life, two contrasting states often emerge: surviving and thriving. While survival is an automatic response to challenges, thriving represents a higher plane of existence—an intentional and empowered way of living. In this blog, we will explore the nuances of thriving versus surviving, define each concept, and provide actionable tips to help you transition from mere survival to a life of flourishing abundance.

When we learn to value ourselves, others value us too. It’s freeing when we no longer have to “chase clients.” Instead, we work with those who see what we are doing and want to be a part of it. Read on to learn more.

Self-care is NOT selfish! Society teaches us to take care of everyone else first. However, we should love and care for ourselves SO THAT we CAN take care of others even better. It’s time to show up for ourselves!

Imposter syndrome refers to an internal experience where we doubt our accomplishments, skills, or abilities and have a persistent fear of being exposed as fraud. Those of us who struggle with imposter syndrome often believe that our achievements result from luck or external factors rather than our capabilities.

Living in survival mode is not sustainable. We need to learn how to heal through our pain to be what we need to be for ourselves and those around us. This blog covers why hurt people hurt people and how trauma shows up in our lives. It also goes over what to look for in others. The biggest need to be addressed is the willingness to become more self-aware. Getting there is not easy, but it is worth it.

Sometimes, we get bogged down on how far we must go to reach our goals. What we need to do is start focusing on the small habits that will eventually equal big results. In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes about how important it is to take small steps. The name of the game is consistency. It’s not perfection. We will make mistakes. We won’t be perfect. However, as long as we keep going, we WILL achieve the results we desire. Keep going, my friends!

Self-reflection examines and contemplates one's thoughts, emotions, experiences, and actions. It involves introspection and a deep exploration of oneself to gain insight, understanding, and personal growth. Self-reflection can be a valuable tool for self-improvement, decision-making, and greater self-awareness.

For years, I dwelled often. I don’t know why I did it. It never made me feel better. It just made me sad, frustrated and feeling depressed. I blamed my choices on others when the decisions were all mine. I blamed others for what was happening in my life. While these things may have impacted my earlier thinking, they should not have remained an excuse later in life. But it did – and things continued to happen that kept me in this negative state to where I just kept blaming the world for what was happening to me.

A while back, I completed my certification in nutrition coaching through the National Academy of Sports and Medicine. In the exam, one of the questions was the following: Which option BEST describes the characteristic(s) of a high-quality nutrition plan?

The answer is simple: A nutrition plan should be flexible, based on a person's needs and goals.

For the last nine years, I have taken biochemistry, human physiology, and pathophysiology courses, served as a medical laboratory technician, and completed certifications in performance nutrition (supplementation) and general lifestyle nutrition/nutrition specialization. I also have experienced situations where I was given restrictive meal plans to follow during my time in bodybuilding.

It all boils down to this - the best plan is the plan you can follow for the rest of your life.

Are our actions showing that we found love from within, or are they showing that we are searching for love in all the wrong places? People, substances, food, etc., will never be able to fill our void until we decide to have a spiritual presence and find the love from within. This is the first step to kicking any type of addiction - loving ourselves.

What is self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy is the ability to believe in oneself enough so that we can accomplish the things we desire. “[It] reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one’s own motivation, behavior, and social environment” (Carey and Forsyth, www.apa.org, 2020).

Falling is ok...quitting is not ok. It's not a failure unless we completely quit. So no matter how many times we get hit by life, we must get back up, dust our shoulders off, and keep going. One moment at a time. We can do this.

No more lies. No more deceit. The Lord guides us. He teaches us. He becomes our wise council in times of need. When the devil begins to go to work, the Lord overpowers – if we allow Him to.

Merriam-Webster defines this as “someone or something that pleases or wants to please people. Often, a person who has an emotional need to please others often at the expense of his or her own needs or desires” (www.merriam-webster.com).

Are you a people pleaser? This is something I have been working on, as well as assertive communication. Those who are meant to be in your life will understand your position and that you need to take care of yourself. Others, well, maybe they aren’t meant to be where you are allowing them to be. Feel free to leave a comment. Have a wonderful day!

Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard we try, we can never get ahead in this thing called life. I am here today in hopes to share my own experiences and encourage you to do what I have to tell myself to do: Stay the Course and Don’t Quit.

Have you ever known anyone who was just negative all the time? Are they fun to be around or do you go out of your way to avoid them? Or…do you do what I used to do and go above and beyond to try and help them? Or even worse, are YOU the one with the negative attitude? I used to be. I didn’t even realize what I was doing. Nevertheless, one thing I did well was put a mask on with the rest of the world. I compartmentalized so well that I never even realized that I wasn’t allowing myself to heal. In doing that, I did myself (and others around me) a serious disservice. I had someone tell me once, “you will receive the energy you put out.” This is so true! I have tried and tested it time after time! If you begin to doubt yourself and allow things that are out of your control to control you, you will find that not only will you have a bad day, but you will also end up having an even worse life. Stop this habit in its tracks! Become aware! Then begin the journey! You are NOT alone!

What does a humble servant look like to you? Do you realize that being a humble servant means letting go of any ounce of pride? It means realizing we are not in control, but that we are led by God. We are led to be more. We are led to be something amazing. With pride, we are limited. With God, we are limitless. Lead a more fulfilled life by leading a more humble life. It starts with the willingness to start. Perfection doesn’t exist. Pride is diminished. We are able to humbly serve when we choose this walk. It won’t happen overnight, but the more we work at it, the more we will begin to see it come to fruition.