Author: kgogolew

There are so many illnesses that people have, and we have no idea about.

They may look completely ‘normal’, but feel completely awful. Certain symptoms can make the simplest of tasks feel like climbing Mt.Everest.

I wish I couldn’t relate, but I can to a degree. I am lucky enough that I am not experiencing permanent damage. I am very thankful for this each day.

For me, I have to live perfectly to not experience symptoms. 8 hours of sleep each night, no sickness, drink enough water, continuous exercise, and minimal stress.

This is just a small reminder of why it is so vital to be kind. Give people the benefit of the doubt if they are acting weird or off. Most often people need a little extra love and support in these moments.

Be kind. Always!

We far too often underestimate the power of the little things….

Flowers that magically appear on the counter top

A hug or one smile

One kind thought to someone else

One kind thought to yourself

Crossing one thing off of your to do list

Completing one workout

The little things are NEVER little.

I challenge you tonight to PAUSE and appreciate the little things. There is so much to appreciate in this world. 🙂

Growing up, I feel like there was always this picture put in our heads of what life was supposed to be. Graduate high school, go off to college, graduate, get a good job, meet a guy, buy a house, and start a family. That good old American Dream….

On top of that you add on that constant question from every adult growing up.

“What are you going to be when you grow up?”

There is so much pressure put on at such an early age for kids to know exactly what they want to do with their lives and it is doing them a significant disservice.

How about instead we start to push the next generation to explore the individual strong qualities that will help them navigate life when they get older.

Let’s teach them to be kind, determined, passionate, and honest.

Adulting is hard y’all….Such a focus is put on the steps to get there, and not enough on navigating the obstacles that will jump in the way.

Long story short…..you are NOT defined by your career. You are the only you in the entire universe. How cool is that? No matter how hard anyone tries, you will always be the best you!

I challenge you to take a minute today and explore what truly makes you passionate. An instrument you haven’t touched? Reading? Exploring nature? Volunteering?

Eliminate the excuses in the back of your head and go after it. Your heart and soul will thank you!

Can we take a second and appreciate all of our fur babies out there?

This sweet girl has us wrapped around her paws. She shows us such unconditional love, always. She is always forgiving and places all of her trust in us.

This is what I strive for…committment, loyalty, trust, and most importantly, love in all of my relationships.

Our sweet girl can hit us right in the feels with how transparent she is. Her love radiates off of her, and makes the worst days so much better.

Every single day we have the ability to have this same effect on others. One small smile can completely turn someone’s day around. We each have this amazing opportunity each day to literally change the world one person at a time.

What are you going to do with that opportunity?

First of all, thank you so much for all of the positive support so far. I feel beyond grateful and overwhelmed with the love I have received!

This topic is one that sits near and dear to my heart. Ever since I can remember, I have had big giant emotions about all the things on both ends of the spectrum. My first kiss was followed by a dance party around my room and feeling like I was floating on cloud 9 for DAYS. On the other hand, if I have 12 million things on my to do list, it feels like I am about to be crushed by the weight of it.

For the longest time, I felt as though I was just being too sensitive, and that my reactions were the problem. The truth was that my perception was the problem. My big feelings are why I dive into my life with every ounce of my being and my big feelings are what make me…..me.

We live in this society that normalizes shoving our emotions down inside us so that we can continue on functioning in everyday life. If I had a dollar for every time that I heard someone say “I’m good” to the question, “How are you?”, I would be a billionaire.

GUT CHECK…..How many times do you think you respond to that question with “I’m good.”, when you really are not?

I want to clarify this….I am not suggesting that the next time someone asks “How are you?”, that you scream at the top of your lungs that you are angry. I like to try “I’m a bit frustrated, but I am going to figure it out.” That stops me from normalizing the idea of “good” while still maintaining a positive mindset.

Long story short….It is okay to NOT be okay. Let yourself feel that emotion whatever it may be.

Fear…..Love…..Tiredness……Hope……

Process it and then think about how you can turn around and make it a fantastic day anyway!

Thanks for reading friends! Until next time. 🙂

Hello world!

I wanted to take a second and explain this mission I live by….love over fear everyday.

First off, let’s talk about love. We are so quick to love others with every single ounce of our being, frequently to an unhealthy level for ourselves. I have been there, and when that “love” ended, it was the biggest gut check that I had little to no love for myself. I asked myself, “How can one of our basic needs be so incredibly difficult to provide myself?” That’s when I learned about fear, and how significant of a role that it played in my lack of self-love.

For so long, I acted out of fear. Fear of hurting others, fear of losing others, fear of disappointing others, fear of how others would perceive me, or fear of what was to come. It is often the easiest choice of them all because we don’t have to draw boundaries. When is the last time that you set a personal boundary for you and ONLY you?

It is times like this that love is the hardest choice. Will you probably disappoint someone? YES Is it going to be okay? YES Are you doing the right thing for you? YES

I challenge you today, find one opportunity to choose love over fear!

Love over Fear….It is not a simple switch to make. It continues to take active thought, everyday, with every single action I make. Am I perfect at this? Not even close. The important part is that I actively choose to live this way, always!

Sidenote….if I have any artsy friends out there, I’m playing around with the idea of “love over fear” as a future tattoo…..

I don’t want this blog to be focused on me. For those of you that know me, I greatly dislike talking about myself. I want to create a platform that will blow the negativity out of the way for each and every one of you. Each of you has the potential to be the absolutely best version of yourself each and every day!

I’m so excited to share my journey with you all and hear everything each of you have to say!