Secret to happiness....and success!

Maybe you saw my post back in March. I called it, "Stop Explaining Yourself". You can read it here. In the post I talk about some of my insecurities and such. It makes me a little sad to think I was that insecure. We all have our process and we all come a long way! I don't know about you, but 2013 has been life changing, baby.

I've grown as a person, I'm really happy, and I know who I am. I know my purpose and I know my destiny. I'll be writing a lot about purpose/calling/destiny on the blog these next couple of months. Be sure to follow me on youtube as I've been putting up some inspirational vlogs for you guys (youtube.com/lilygaraymusic ).

Anyways, I can be pretty insecure as I'm sure we all are. If you've NEVER been insecure...then wow! Please tell me your secret. I'll give you my secret to happiness & success. BE YOURSELF! Deep, I know.
We've all heard it here and there, but really, being yourself is the best thing..like ever. I always thought I was myself. I mean I definitely have my way of doing things and blah blah blah, but I don't think I've ever really been more me than I have since the beginning of school. I always try to stand out while blending in. Spoiler alert! It doesn't work.

You either all in or all out. No in between. Secret numero 2 to being yourself? Be comfortable. You've gotta love the clothes you wear, the food you eat (don't give in to gluttony, but a donut IS OK for you every once in a while), the way you do your makeup, and the way you style your hair.

I recently did something to my hair that I vowed I would never do again. Cut my bangs. yikes I know. It was totally spur of the moment and I actually did them myself with my own special hair chopping scissors ;) haha anyways the point of this story is that I thought I'd hate it and it's make me look like a little kid and I didn't understand why I did it because I've basically had bangs my whole life and my bangs were finnnaaally past my chin...but I feel comfortable and so much more like myself and that has made me happy which...is making me more successful because I'm more confident and can present things with that confidence :) Beauty really is from the inside out.



xoxo,
LG

Pick Me Up

These days it’s easy to think you’re fat and not-so attractive. How could you not? With all of the things we see on the internet, like pinterest, it’s easy to think that you’re not all that. Just to let you know, you truly are beautiful!

Quick pick-me-ups (*hint - this one is for everybody)

-Wake up in the morning and thank God for making you

-Hang up a little sign on your mirror with your favorite verse

-Tell yourself that you are beautiful

-Drink a whole cup of water within the first 30 minutes of waking up.

-Have a fruit salad for breakfast

-Go on a walk

-Create a fun playlist and play it on the computer/ipod/etc and blare it!

What is the “must have” accessory of the Summer? A Scarf! Here are some ideas for how to tie your summer scarves, including how-to make a headband with your scarf.

Unbroken Beauty

As some of you know, I am an assistant editor over at Girlz 4 Christ Magazine.

One of my jobs is to interview amazing people. Here's one of my recent artciles. 

(for Q&A Lily’s questions & statements will be in bold. Anything said by Mindy Galvin will be in italics)

That moment you look into the mirror and don’t like what you see. Your hair is limp, you’re too fat, and you never look good. When you look at yourself you don’t see what others see and even though you believe in Jesus, you don’t understand what it is about you that He loves. Perhaps you have an eating disorder and you don’t see any hope at all. Maybe it’s hard for you to talk about it or even say anything, but there was a girl who did and this is her story.

She was so focused on becoming more thin to achieve beauty that she was pushing everyone and everything away from her. It was then she realized that she had to cling to God. That the one true thing she had left was God. She wanted to see herself the way that Jesus saw her. She opened up to her mom and lots of late night talks and prayers are the only things that got through this. But let’s rewind and start from the very beginning.

Mindy Galvin has had issues with her appearance since before pre-school! She grew up in church, has been writing songs for God almost all her life, and is currently a singer/songwriter, conference speaker, author, and youth pastor. Yet, at the age of 19 (she’s now 21) she started to have an eating disorder. It’s not that people didn’t love her or support her. It was about how she saw herself. Because of this, Mindy, has a very different outlook on life. She has let it change for the better. She is currently writing a  devotional called, “Unbroken Beauty”. Mindy says, “The devotional is about body image and how society sort of degrades beauty for girls and makes you feel insecure. It’s also going to be going along with one of the songs that I’m writing. The song talks about the time I had an eating disorder and Jesus showed me how to see myself through His eyes.”

I think it’s so cool that you are turning your story into such a testimony! I also love that you are using music to spread the word and love of God. Tell me, how did you get started? I’ve been singing and writing songs since I can remember. I felt a strong calling when I was about 5. The second I heard the song “Jesus Freak”  ( by DC talk) I started writing songs and got music together. I went to a business/music camp and that has helped me in my journey with music.

I would say that you have a sound like Superchick and Barlow Girl. How would you describe it? I would probably describe it as a Christian Paramore. It’s definitely like a poppy rock feel.

Where do you find your writing inspiration? I really take in the emotions of myself and people around me. In devotion time I write things I am learning as a Christian and as I’m learning things with my walk with Jesus. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with whole songs in my head. It’s really just God.

What is some advice would you give singer/songwriters? I would say to be true to yourself, be unique, and don’t be afraid what God is telling you to say. A lot of times people tell me that I shouldn’t be so upfront with my faith in my songs and that I should use analogies. It’s really important to be blatant with exactly what you’re trying to say and who you’re talking about.

What is some advice you would give anyone who isn’t a singer/songwriter? Learn how to trust God and hold on to your faith. It’s so easy to lose track of who you are and what you believe. If you wait in the Lord it strengthens your relationship with Him and others.

You can find out more about Mindy Galvin at:

http://www.wix.com/mindygalvin/mindy-galvin

http://twitter.com/MindyGalvin

http://www.reverbnation.com/mindygalvin

Free Online Magazine

Are you 9-17 years old?

Know someone who is 9-17 years old?

I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE!!! 

you should totally subscribe and then tell everyone else to do it too.

Plus the BIG Birthday issue is coming up in the Spring! :) 

Tuesday Tutorial - Nail Time!

Manicures can be so expensive! And a lot of the time, not even worth it.

Here's an easy, modern, and inexpensive manicure that you can do right on your kitchen table!

Step 1. Grab two colors that contrast e/o. I chose a pearly color and black. 

{Feel free to use any color combination} 

Also get a dotter tool or brush with 

small tip {I used an old liquid 

eyeliner brush}

Step 2. Start with clean nails.

 If you like to do a clear base coat

 then go ahead.

Step 3. Paint your main color

Step 4. After your main color has dried,

 get your dotter tool and dip it

 (or take it off your nail brush)

 in the contrasting color (for me it was black)

Step 5. Paint dots on the bottom of your nails and let dry!

Fashionista Friday!

I saw this on pinterest

via

And oh how I've wanted a big ol' watch.

But they are expensive.

Like this one from Michael Kors

via

or these

All from Michael Kors! (image source unknown)

How disheartening :(

$250 buckaroos...for a watch...

No doubt that they are worth it, 

but at the moment, 

I can't just spend that kind of money 

on "frivolous" items. 

Especially with a car, license, insurance, phone, etc

all on the way with my 16th birthday.

And no way am I going to spend all of my hard earned money.

But you see, God is awesome. He knows everything I want.

Everything.

Like last year for my quinceñera, I wanted a limo.

But I said nothing. I knew it would be expensive

and that we just couldn't afford it at the moment.

But someone rented one for me as a gift.

And someone bought me a beautiful tiered cake.

And I knew that eventually I'd get a beautiful watch.

Today was that day my friend. 

And you won't believe how much it cost. 

(yes, this is my arm and bangles and watch)

In my opinion it's prettier than the Michael Kors watches,

it's in the copper tone that I absolutely adore,

and it was about... $245 cheaper (on sale) than the one

from Kors.

I also got one in silver:)

Hoodies and feelings

Funny how some

red lipstick

heels

or

a

hoodie

can

 your

I have noticed that whenever I wear a hoodie, 

I seem to have lower self esteem.

 Sometimes it feels nice though.

Whenever I wear heels, I instantly feel confident.

Whenever I use lipstick, I feel older... (so I don't use it that often;P )

What things make you feel a certain way?

Blonde...Red Head...Brunette?

Or Blackette? Is that even a word? If not, it should be. right? I mean, what else do you call a person with black hair? It shouldn't be brunette. And what happens if you are dark brown? Are you Dark Brunette? Or Light Blackette?















Oh this is soooo confusing!  On the bright side ( or actually dark side ) did you notice I dyed my hair??

That's right I got a new look!!!

Gosh. It's rude to leave your mouth open like that you know!

Happy Thursday Friends:)

P.S. I'm thankful for hair dye!

Justin Bieber's Song - Boyfriend + Fashion

Being a girl is the bestest! You get to cry, wear skirts and dresses, and eat tons of chocolate w/out being judged. Ok  we can agree to disagree on that last one.... And....You get the benefits of re-playing Justin Bieber's new song Boyfriend a million times... I keep hitting that repeat button. It just doesn't get old. It's so weird because I'm not really a JB fan, but this song has me hooked.

                                                              

                                                              

                                     shirt JCPenney belt Grandmother skirt Gift sandals Gift earrings Gift 

All in all.... I spent $4.05 on this outfit (that includes tax)

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time + Guest Post

Well this week I have spoiled you with two guest posts! One on Tuesday and one today:)

You all probably know that I follow  stalk Aunie's Blogs....all 4 of them. One's about Hair, Life, Nails, and Trichotillomania   - got you on that last one, didn't I? 

Any text you see in pink below is me talking. Let's get this started.

___________________________________________________________________

I'm Aunie.

isn't she so pretty?

 I blog at Aunie Sauce. You may assume that since I'm Aunie and blog at Aunie Sauce, that I may be a tad bit saucy. You would be correct. I write saucy poems, saucy posts, and I post about my saucy and sassy little bearded dragon from time to time. Come on over and check out my saucy-ness, why don'tcha?

Did you find that interesting? I did!!!

Ok ok ok.... SINCE Aunie blogs, she has a series called: Thursday 13 <---- click for more info. 

She'll be sharing:

13 favorite things about being a girl

1. MAKEUP! I'm a makeup junkie. I even blog about it!

2.NAIL POLISH! Ha! I blog about that, too!!!

3.Getting to make excuses. You know... about "that time of the month" or "because I'm a girl!"

4.Not having to do the rough-and-tough stuff... (even though some girls do... not me!)

5.Chick flicks.

6.Shopping rehab. I know some guys have that, too... but it's so much better when you're a girl.

7.Women-only gyms! I've never been to one but I think the idea is great!

8.Accessorizing.

9.Dresses!!

10.Getting my toesies did. 

11.Getting treated to things like dinner dates. Half of the time, I end up paying, too... but I love being treated to things!

12.Having not as much body hair as men... gross!

13.Emotions! Girls are usually more emotional than guys (right?), and sometimes it's good to just get a good cry in and not have anyone think it's weird. 

_______________________________________________

Go Go Go visit her! It's worth your time, I promise:)
Have a lovely Thursday.

P.S. No Thankful Thursday today because of the guest post:)

OH and the title has nothing to do with the post... hahaha