Motivation: Life Lessons

Heya back!

Me, myself and I a couple of days ago.

This is a sincere highlight of Summer 2017 which affected my way of thinking a lot. I am now looking back at this article (it's been some months; since I published it on late June) and I realize I had no Idea how much this mindset swift would reflect a series of changes and evolution accompanying the end of an Era and the Start of another! So the initial post goes like this:

"June is not just here, it's almost over! A month ago I had a really different plan in mind for June's blog updates, yet life is full of plot twists so here I go with an article I wasn't supposed to compose at the first place. In fact, an experience (not enjoyable at all) made my whole mental existence shake, tested my boundaries and challenged my inner strength to the limits. I had rough days but as I'm always a Self Improvement oriented person, I chose to gather all the data of this experience and turn them into a life lesson for me. That's today's topic: Life Lessons.

What I am about to share today is not the conditions of what I have been through, but the outcome. What I gained out of this mess.

Before entering this drainful situation I was full of energy, hope, motivation and dreams, ready to dive into a different routine, far out of my comfort zone. I had an Ideal background to proceed and that's how i got started. Within a month, the conditions were such to completely challenge my physical and mental response in an increasing pace and mid-June found me totally freaked out, drained and exhausted. I kept on accepting things I shouldn't for a long time, being patient and keeping my temper. I was thoughtful, trying to make the best profitable decision twisting everything in my mind for days to make sure I wouldn't regret anything. Right on this process, the killer shot came and i fed up. INSTANTLY. All these thoughts I've been processing were suddenly solid, forming a sentence: YOU HAD ENOUGH OF THIS. This happened not in a moment of temper loss or under anger. It happened within a moment, when I realised who am I and what I deserve.

I was far away from home (and computer) so in a try to express myself, I composed a small text summing up the inner strength wave i felt, washing out my doubts and fears at that moment.

The text was:

" Well, it takes self awareness to be an efficient and successful warrior. Sometimes it's not about how much you stick into something or how much you want it but about acknowledging your needs and value. Sometimes, sacrificing everything for a reason, a person, a target etc won't bring you success. You have to realise who you are and what you deserve. We are so used to our own features that we forgot how special we are......That's where self awareness kicks in. Knowing where to stop, what's worth it and when you just have to walk away, not because you give up, but because this plate doesn't serve you anymore. There are moments you shouldn't try to "fix it", you're not the reason it doesn't work. But even if you force it and finally get it, it won't matter because it won't be right for you. If it was, it wouldn't make you lose yourself. If it was right, you wouldn't be drained unable to enjoy its whole existence. Sail away."

Truth is, after writing this down, i read it multiple times and I felt extremely strong to defend and protect myself. I realised there's a limit on the parts of ourselves we sacrifice. If something smashes our soul it's not worth it. We have to be solid, content and pure in order to feel complete and happy. Life is not heaven itself. It is full of people and occasions that disrespect you or try to twist the perspective you have of yourself, not always targeting you personally, but just because it is more profitable for them. This applies either economically or personally. It's not the first time I come across with people who are aggressive, unfair, disrespectful in order to feel better through demolishing some body's spirit. It's also a fact that people who feel their spirit broken are far more easily manipulated, a situation that frequently takes place in a working environment.

What about me? I had the ideal potential before entering this situation and maybe that's the reason why even though I felt horrible, I knew I do not deserve this. I was just patient, not in hope that it will change, I was just hopping I will be able to hold on a little more for the sake of my initial goal. That Day, I woke up and felt the flow of energy across my body, for the first time in those days.
I almost had the same appetite for life as the day before I enter all these. I knew that's who I am. That's how i want to be. I stood up on my own feet, pointed out my value, supported myself and took charge of my own happiness and life. I demanded what i deserve. I became fierce and kicked out anything that crossed the line of my self-respect.

Back to reality, this mindset and mental decision came together with a choice and its consequences. It was maybe the first time the conditions were so special that supporting this decision was too difficult according to the resources and further planning. I had maybe a moment of despair but I took a deep breath and reminded myself   "You are strong. You are responsible for yourself and you always find a way to solve things. You are  a Warrior. Act like one." And that was the moment I bravely accomplished everything. This set came with all the possible problems that could occur but still i managed to handle it and make it though. The physical exhaustion and further loss of time and money were nothing compared to the happiness and pride I felt for myself. I gained back a stronger version of myself, more mature and stable. I learnt that any kind of investment can turn into a disaster but this is not the end point. It can be twisted into a significant push up, redirecting you to something better if you choose to treat it this way. I trained myself to spot the tiny glimpse of light across the raging storm, I appreciated even more how valuable the "ordinary" things are and last and most importantly, the most significant gain i had was the feeling of self-security. Surviving one of the hardest situations while being able to solve everything by myself made me feel powerful and brave. I do not feel afraid to risk anymore, I will not limit myself on the next big decision i have in mind. Because now I know, I am not only capable to achieve what i want, but I am also efficient on dealing with whatever comes with it.

That is how I chose to transform a negative experience into a life lesson, extracting positivity and wisdom out of it. Furthermore, i realised that viewing the world from a scope which targets your wellness isn't only a valuable tool for your future and evolution but is a necessary factor to your joy equation, in the present. This point of view helped me recover pretty fast, underlined clearly my needs as well as enhancing my ability to estimate and evaluate situations faster. Being able to understand myself and what I need at each moment leads to decisions and actions which comfort me and serve my happiness in the present too. After all, I concluded that being happy is (at the highest percentage) a matter of our own choice. How we choose to deal with sorrows. Whether the choice is being dramatic and pessimistic or positive and optimistic what happened doesn't change. What will came is also uncertain. But what we have now, is the only thing we're able to control and that's our power. Take as much time as you need to heal and restore  your spirit. Rip out any stain from your glorious soul, you need it pure. Comfort yourself, form an environment of persons, choices and habits that fulfil your heart and mind. Dealing with harsh situations is not a piece of cake and the last thing you need is extras cumbering your back.

 Make yourself a priority, leave the past behind but make sure you move on not with bitterness, drama and confusion, Move on full of life lessons that will support your presence, protect your future and keep your mind in peace. "

I really hope this article offered even the slightest comfort, courage and motivation to your soul. It is a special one for me because everything is too recent and I still sense all the tension while sharing these thoughts with you. Life is full of ups and downs but the stability of the sailor is what guarantees the quality of the journey. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, recommendations and feedback through the contact info below. Stay tuned for more and take care. 

Love,

Irina

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Fitness: Workouts: The importance of stretching

Woohoo world!

Swiss ball is not only for sit walls and ab work.
It can help a lot with stretching too😊

This is a fitness/health related arcticle, aiming to explain the importance of stretching not only as a post-workout practice but as a staple in your daily life.

Stretching is easy, quick and holds multiple benefits for your physique, health and quality of life. 

But, why? Let's take a closer look:

Stretching is a natural reflex. Most obvious reason to stretch is to relieve ourselves from muscle soreness caused either by poor sleeping position, or, a long day on the chair. It's an almost automatic reaction of our body to seek ways to restore back to normal

 

Another amazing benefit of stretch, is stress relief. Musicians stretch before their warm up on stage. Public speakers stretch backstage before hitting the stage. Stress tends to be stored in the muscle, and releasing before a stressful event or during a hectic day can give you a much needed boost on your mental health. No matter if you just hit a workout or you are simply sitting on the sofa, stand up and stretch! 

With that out of the way, let's review the goodies we get in return, for stretching:

Stretching on a daily basis benefits

• Physical and mental preparation to start the day. Stretching in the morning definitely boosts the energy levels and contributes to a better mood.

• Posture improvement means moving with less pain everyday, having a much flattering silhouette, having correct breath intake and as a consequence, reduced tiredness levels during the day.

• Prevention of muscle soreness and injuries [due to tightness], improvement of balance, increase of muscle flexibility (leading to significantly higher efficiency during the workout) and whole body strengthening (especially while performing dynamic stretching exercises).

• Blood circulation booster which plays a key-role on shortening the muscle recovery time, promoting the organs' well-function and cell growth as well as equalizing the blood pressure.

• Gaining control of proper breathing (mostly during of static stretching) automatically leads to balanced distribution of oxygen. This is essential for optimal performance on your workout since you delay the accumulation of lactic acid around your muscles (aka the pain when you are close to failure during a set).

• Stress reduction is a result of 2 main factors that stretching targets: release of concentrated/build-up tension inside the body accompanied by endorphin production and secretion.Endorphins are kind of "miraculous" hormones responsible -among others- for your happiness.

• Mind tool:

 Stretching can strongly affect your ability to concentrate and focus, allowing you to maximize your efficiency on your daily activities and therefore improve your skills. It is a highly recommended habit especially for mentally demanding activities such as teaching, studying or working with data.

• Sleep quality is based on the body's ability to relax, regulate the blood pressure and certain hormones along. To reap those benefits, stick with neck/head/shoulder'back stretching before you go to bed.

Some nice examples :) 

• Blood sugar regulation and potential decrease on fat storage. Extremely important and beneficial for diabetes patients.

• 10 minutes of dynamic stretching can be a great warm up before your workout. Prolonged dynamic stretching can serve as exercise for people suffering from arthritis. Such people usually stay inactive due to their condition, which indeed needs special treatment, but is frequently used as an "excuse" to skip. Dynamic stretching is 100% harmless as it doesn't strain the body and promotes muscle preservation.

• Trance. Controlled breathing and concentration during a stretching session promote control over the flow of air and energy in the body. Said skills are highly associated with meditative activities and in many cases can help you achieve mind calmness.

*All of the benefits mentioned above refer to correctl stretching practice. Everybody has its own limits, range of motion and individual needs. Performing under a safe range of motion will not harm, strain or damage the body. Listen your body.

Thank you for being here and I really wish you will benefit from the information shared above. Always treat yourself with love, care, kindness, It's the most valuable thing you have!

If you found some value here, spread this energy around.

I am really looking forward to receive your feedback.

Till next update, stay safe,calm and take care.

Much love.

Irina

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Nutrition: Recipes: 3 Whole wheat flour recipes

Nutrition: Recipes: 3 Whole wheat flour recipes : 

BREAD - CREPES - TORTILLAS

Welcome back my dear friends!

This is a really rare photo of me
both smiling and wearing light colours.
#legendary_ May 2017

Summer is here and I tend to feel double or triple hungry everyday ( almost turning to Snorlax soon hahaha) so I decided to make a recipe related update to welcome the productivity of this month.


Today I'm going to share with you 3 recipes mainly consisted of whole wheat flour.

This means, the following options are high in fibers, really healthy, delicious, nutritious and are the best option/alternative for your carbs snacks replacing completely the white flour products.

I'm using black whole wheat flour instead of white flour in any recipe I've tried so far and I can guarantee that the taste is insanely good.
 I have tried all three recipes multiple times and I highly insist that you should give them a try too :) .

Let's get started ;)

NUMBER ONE : WHOLE WHEAT 

[WHOLE GRAIN -optional-] BREAD

Ingredients

500gr whole wheat black flour
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. honey (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp of butter (thick solid almond/peanut butter also works fine)
1 portion of dry yeast (aprox. 7-9 gr)
300mL of lukewarm water

Optionally: linseed, oatmeal, sunflower seeds or any seeds you like

Instructions

Mix the flour, salt, dry yeast and honey (or sugar) all together. Right after, crumble the butter inside the flour mixture until it is completely embedded. Add half of the water slowly and stir your mixture using a spoon or any tool you find more practical. Start kneading the dough and add as much water as needed so your dough will be thick and not sticky. It needs aprox. 10 minutes of kneading (you might need extra flour if the dough is sticky but usually with these exact proportions I don't need any) and then you can either cover your dough with a clean towel and let it rest in room temperature or put it in a preheated oven (50 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes).

 If you want to make wholegrain bread, it's the right time to top your dough with all the seeds you prefer. Last step, after your dough has gained enough volume you can either shape the whole dough into a loaf or smaller ones. Another suggestion is use a part of the dough to form small round pieces for your breakfast.

Baking: 15minutes in a preheated oven of 210-230 degrees Celsius and then 25-30 more minutes on 180-200 degrees (depending on your oven).

It has a wonderful smell, really satisfying taste and matches great with both sweet and savoury tastes.



The final result:

NUMBER TWO : WHOLE WHEAT CREPES

Sadly, mine was the left one w/ honey, banana, cinnamon and linseed. Still delicious but I was jealous of the beast on the right

Yes, yes and YES. Your vision is right. C R E P E S. W H O L E _ W H E A T.  H E A L T H Y.

How? Take a look:

Ingredients

• 200gr wholewheat flour
• 400mL of milk ( I use lactose free one, you can use ANY milk you consume, either vegan or not)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp of honey (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. butter or oil (i used oil)
• olive oil (for the pan)

How to prepare the dough:

You won't necessarily need a mixer, I blended the mixture in a bowl with a fork (!) so I believe you can do it just fine without a mixer too. First stir the eggs in a bowl and then add : the honey/sugar, salt, milk, flour and oil/butter. Stir as much as needed until you get a smooth creamy dough.

Preheat your pan in L O W - MEDIUM temperature, and when it's warm (for example I used scale 4-5 - maximum heat is scale 9) spray on some olive oil. If you don't have it in spray format, use a piece of paper, pour some in your pan and spread it around with the paper. Repeat this process before cooking each crepe. This recipe is suitable both for sweet and savoury combinations, If you're using it to make breakfast or deserts you can add some vanilla extract in your dough for a sweeter smell.

Om nom nom nom still heavy breathing....

NUMBER THREE : WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS

If you're as addicted as I am to wraps and tortillas, here's your jack pot. Healthy way to enjoy them as frequently as you please, really easy to make while the epic taste and lack of anything unnecessary are definitely a huge plus. 

You will need just:

• 1 mug of whole wheat flour
• 1/3 mug of water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 spoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt

*Alternatives: you can also add curry or garlic or paprika or tomato in powder format to make another flavor of wraps.*

How to do it:

Mix all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and then start adding the water gradually as you're stirring in the meantime. A mixer will also do a great job as well. You must end up with a thick dough. [ If yours isn't thick enough add some more flour ]. Let it rest for 15-25 minutes and then divide the dough in 8-10 equal portions. Each one will be a tortilla wrap. Use a rolling pin to format your wraps and then cook them in a preheated pan (don't over do it) . It usually needs 30 seconds for each side. Always prefer medium heat as a high heated pan will make your tortillas dry and you won't be able to roll them afterwards.

In loving memory of this REALLY EPIC meal with minced meat,
tones of vegetables, corn, honeymustard mushrooms and peppers

BONUS :

I made sure to cover your sweet-tooth too with some healthy whole wheat flour recipes to make your favourite treats with the healthiest alternatives ;) Find out pics and all the details below

• Homemade Healthy Donuts

   

•  Healthy Microwave Lava Brownie

This is one of the days I find it extra hard to make a conclusion for my articles (mostly because I got hellish hungry after all this food related description :p) so I'll just leave the recipes here and I hope you're discovering the majestic taste of these snacks on your own. If you do so, leave me a feedback and let your stomach love you forever ❤

Thanks for your visit here, stay healthy, treat yourself nicely and keep on self improving :)

Till next update take care and follow your dreams❤

*super sudden conclusion*

*off to raid the kitchen*

*overeating*

#noregrets

Love,

Irina

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Health: Physical Detox Routine

Hey everyone and welcome back to my Self-Improvement Blog!

Health: Physical Detox Routine

Easter just passed and left most of us with a lot of toxins and side effects of unhealthy lifestyle during the last days. This state is really applicable after the most common holidays, summer vacations, post partying hangovers and excessive periods of unhealthy habits due to stress, work etc. 

Enjoying ourselves once a while isn't necessarily bad but it certainly requires a healthy routine right after, to detoxinate the body, form the best possible conditions for it to recover and boost our health inside out. If you had some wild days, you want to get rid of the toxins and some extra pounds or/and refresh yourself while preparing for a special occassion, keep reading.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram already know that I consume as clean food as possible most of the times so I usually don't feel like "urging" to remove the unhealthiness from my body. However, the last week I overdid it with traditional candies and cakes as well as the excessive amount of food combined with an increase of spare "treats" in my diet (snacks i didn't really plan to consume but shit happened - who can say no to surprise donuts?)  so I got a souvenir of 3-4 pounds! I don't regret it as i enjoyed these meals a lot ( Snorlax calling muahahah ) but I am a warm supporter of healthy lifestyle and self improvement, feeling the need to jump back into the healthier, leaner and brighter version of myself. Consuming clean food also improves the quality of hair, skin, nails, refills the organism with healthy fuel and tons of energy, having also a significant impact to our mental state and brain activity.

What I personally follow (and suggest) is combining an internal and external body detox to achieve the maximum amount of purification and refreshment. This article develops the routine for internal detoxination whereas here you can find the external beauty detox routine.

Let's write down a few simple yet important things I use to detox myself the day after.

(If It's an excessive period you've been under unhealthy habits add these to your daily routine for at least 3-4 weeks).

MORNING DETOX AND FUEL

Right after opening my eyes, I make a strong detox mixture of some baking soda and fresh lemon juice in a glass of lukewarm water. During summer you can use cold water with lemon and spearmint or other wonderful alternatives. Be careful with the proportions, for 300mL of water i use half tbsp. of baking soda and just squeeze some lemon.

Next step is a healthy, clean and nutritious breakfast including all the necessary vitamins, protein and healthy carbs you need to start your day. I usually accompany it with a nice smoothie or fresh juice it it doesn't already contain fruits or I consume a cup of verbena tea (It's hyper fat burning if you consume it daily) or a cup of unsweetened filtered coffee with 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon (fat burning as well).

EXERCISE

Oh yes, here I'll be cliché again and spam how important it is to exercise regularly (not only during detox periods) as it should be a part of your general lifestyle. If you're an active person you can increase your workout routines adding 10-15' of extra cardio 3 (or more) times per week but I completely understand that not everyone has the time to hit the gym everyday so 15 minutes of DAILY stretching and some simple exercises performed indoors or outdoors can play a key-role to reclaim your physique and get all the benefits for your body. So..... NO EXCUSES!!!!

Tip: If I'm not having a gym session (i usually train in the afternoon) I LOVE having workouts at home or outdoors (the increasingly warm weather also supports this) in the morning. It helps the body wake up, prepares you mentally for a productive day and increases a bunch of hormones that keep you active and happy. In case you're having morning shifts at work, wake up 15 minutes earlier and give yourself the opportunity to benefit from this habit, it worth the "sacrifice" all the way.

WATER MANIAC (She's a maaaaniac, maaaaniac🎶)

Be a water maniac. You need a lot of it not just to stay hydrated but also to help your organism digest better and remove efficiently anything that is not useful. Set a target of consuming 1L more than the daily needs of your body. If you struggle drinking water, try using bottles so you can measure the exact amount you drink and find alternatives to make it more appealing. Water with strawberry and lemon slices, water with cucumber, the options are so many.

KEEPER OF THE SEVEN TREATS (Metalhead readers will laugh a little- Salute to you!)

Stay away from: External Sugar, Anything made of white flour, Energy and Soda drinks, Sweets, Junk Food, Packed Industrial Snacks/Juice AAAAAAND Alcohol . Use a friend as a keeper If you can't resist! 

HEALTHY DIET

Increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, protein, whole wheat products and vitamin/mineral sources you consume. You can find a more detailed description of it accompanied with a lot of tips Here.

SLEEPING BEAUTY (contrasting to the waking beast we usually wake up)

Fixing your sleeping schedule is  an A-priority for your body as it needs specific timetable and a lot of rest to function at its finest. 

Go for 7-8 hours of high quality sleep at a specific time everyday. Personally this is my enormous struggle but I guarantee that right by achieving this you won an epic battle and you'll be able to observe the rewarding results instantly.

RESEARCH FOR NEW GOALS

Make a research, get inspired, explore the world and new experiences, set new goals and organize your day/targets/a trip/whatever. Nothing compares to the refreshing feeling you get and the energy it provides.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR EXTERNAL DETOX ROUTINE

I made a detailed presentation of my personal routine for you, here.

BREATHE 

No I'm not kidding. You're breathing every few seconds automatically but 1) the quality of air you absorb and 2) the frequency of your breath intake can have a strong impact on your health and body function. Make sure you're breathing fresh air, visit places with clear atmosphere as often as you can, If you're at work use the 15 minute break you have to get out of the building, walk a little (improves your blood circulation), benefit from the sun exposure and breathe fresh air. Also controlling your breath during stress, panic attacks or right before sleep, and increasingly slow it down will naturally relax  your body and mind.

 

That's it guys! Hope you're making the Start for a healthier, happier and brighter Era today. Remove anything toxic from your life (physically and mentally), put on your widest, sincere smile and enjoy your life! 

Thank you for your visit and I hope to catch you back soon. Feel free to send a word, share my blog and follow me on social media. Your requests/feedback/questions and thoughts are always very welcome. Have a wonderful and productive week!

Hugs,

Irina

CONTACT INFORMATION

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Happy Easter

God Påske/ Happy Easter/ Καλό Πάσχα !!!

Easter is here, a holiday where a lot people tend to argue about the religional aspect of it.

I personally do not really celebrate this part of the Easter but I certainly love the custom/tradition of the whole family connected together, sharing lovely moments, eating A LOT (!) while enjoying the nice spring sun.

Wheather you celebrate the Christian Easter or not, If you are religious or an atheist Easter is always a nice opportunity to use your days off, spend some time with your favourite persons, relax and enjoy the spring's sence of rebirth.

I wish you all days of joy, health, smile, luck, moments of love and laughter.

It is so hopeful observing people with different beliefs, religions, origins respecting eachother, passing positivity and passing happiness.

Did you eat like a beast this Easter?👀  Go detox yourself inside out with my new guide coming up. 😏

Enjoy yourselves and stay tuned for (even) more updates!

Irinä

Motivation: A little push-up for your hard days

Hello my dearest friends.❤

This is an article I always wanted to compose as a little "buddy" to remind you a few things you already know but you tend to forget (we all do so) here and then. It is pretty normal, since bad days of various intensity occur occasionally, to not feel 100% positive 24/7 but after all the evaluation of a day as good or bad is basically how you choose to react towards the events you have to face. I decided to write down a few thoughts I always have on mind but I tend to not pay the proper attention to when I feel sad. I realized that If i consciously choose to recreate these little things in my thoughts during a hard time I actually regain my motivation and courage back really fast, I deal with any matter more efficiently, my mood lifts up and I am not longer having a bad day. I tried it and it works and that's the basic reason I felt the need to share it here, in hope of inspiring/helping you too. But first I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude for each one of you reading these lines.

                                               

   *Introductory super thank you part* 😂

A really important thing here is your constant support during this entire journey of mine, including some really busy periods in my life. Significantly, the past months, I received a lot of messages especially on my Instagram and Facebook both from people I have helped in person and individuals who felt inspired just by coming across my posts. I also got some requests for personal guidance, advising and support that i was more than glad to respond positively and provide my help, tips and constant support. EVERY SINGLE text I received, got its place in my heart and filled me up with happiness and inspiration to push back and start posting here more actively as I noticed there are more people interested in what I do than I could expect. Your sweet words and sincere smiles have a larger impact on me than you imagine as I feel fulfilled, proud and inspired from your attitude, progress and passion as well!>>

A few more words about me..
The main aim of this blog is to share my beliefs and tips for improving yourself physically and mentally, creating a solid positive background on your days so you can end up upgrading the quality of your life, as I experience this process too on my own life.

I am trying to spot and focus on the positive side of circumstances, even though it seems impossible some times. We all face difficulties, we all come through days that we doubt ourselves, we break down, we struggle through exhaustion, disappointment, despair, fear, anger and confusion but that's pretty normal and necessary.

 Life is more like an open ocean. It can't be calm all the times, It has to experience storms and stress but It's designed to handle it. It will take some time but eventually things will fall in place again while the stress (and consequences) of the storm will be used to improve the function of this system.

So does life. It can't rain all the time. It can't be always sunny either. It has to shake us, challenge us, push our physical and mental existence to the limits so we can realize we are meant for more. 

We tend to limit ourselves (or simply accept the limitations of others) and these particular periods of struggle are here as a precious remindation:

We are FAR MORE POWERFUL than what we think.

 We need to fight and overcome the obstacles while learning to accept and love ourselves, embracing the reasons that make us unique.

A person in peace with himself is able to achieve anything he sets as a target.


In my point of view, the boldest struggle during this era of self-doubt and insecurity is to motivate ourselves to stand up and chase our dreams. All we need is that extra "push" to lift our feet an inch and realize we can still fly. This can be a person, setting a new goal, observing something inspiring or simply being fed up with the constant exhaustion. No matter what the helping mean will be, we need to stand on our own feet and get out of any negative situation/routine. I highlighted this statement on purpose to get a pass on something really important: any person or mean that offers comfort, inspiration, motivation etc is really beneficial if it remains to the position of a "push up" . The work must be done by the person individually and not depend on others. There are a lot of cases where people are getting "addicted" to someone's constant effort and they refuse to be independent and work for themselves leading to 1) a guaranteed failure of this improvement process 2) the formation of sick and toxic relationships/environment as they can be really possessive.

So where is the fine line between a healthy, beneficial push-up and and a harmful brace?

The answer is far short and simple. It's the self-consciousness of the person wishing to change. If you are conscious enough to realize (and admit) that you are not satisfied with yourself, your life, your daily routine, your choices etc and you seek self-improvement while being willing to fight hard for it, then you are on the right path. Once you take charge of your own self and choices, it's up all up to you. It's up to you to reclaim your strength and confidence, limit the impact of external factors on you, use the "push-ups" for your own benefit while fighting for your personal goals.

I highly insist on finding sources of motivation/inspiration as they can be key-important during periods of tiredness, disapointment or difficulties that tend to deviate us from our way to positivity and success. Talking from my own personal experience, nothing compares to the feeling I get when I feel inspired for something. It feels like a whole waterfall of energy runs across my body, my brain feels active, generates ideas and ways to solve problems and my whole existence gets happy inside out. This is the fuel your body and mind needs to heal, recover and seize the day on your way to become the best and happier version of yourself.

Close your eyes, dream of what you wish to be and start smiling. Set a target, organize small and reachable goals to your target, RESEARCH as much as you can to get all the information and stimuli you need and finally make a start!!! Acknowledge your big or small achievements, reward yourself, be loyal to your journey and make sure you're staying motivated during the hard times that occassionally pop out. Except seeking inspirational sources, a great must-do is treating yourself nice, doing things you love and recharge  your batteries as well as trying new things and experiences. It will certainly refresh your mind, fill your time beneficially and will be a wonderful breath to minimize the effect of hard days on you.

I'm sending positive vibes out there and I hope you feel even a dash of motivation after my update. Thank you for spending some time reading my article and I am more than happy to mark my active come back on this blog with this topic.

If you are interested on self improvement make sure you're staying in touch through following me on social media, checking out frequently the blog, leaving a feedback and sharing what you found helpful with people out there. Your comments/messages are really welcome if there's anything you wish to share/recomment/ask, I always get so excited with your feedback. My contact information are placed at the bottom of this article. Till your next visit, stay positive and smile! ❤

Much love and smiles.

Irina

CONTACT INFORMATION

Emails : irina.rhoads@gmail.com & irina.alexopoulou@hotmail.com

Google + : click here

Facebook page :  click here

Twitter : click here

YouTube Channel : /channel/UCoJa8c0GJ4nWce2z_BaUp8w

Skype : irina.alexopoulou

Instagram :irina_lainen_arvoitus 

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Snapchat : irina_arvoitus

Welcome back !

Hey hey everyone !

Here we are , standing on the doorstep of summer and Self Improvement is back to work to stand by your side on your journey of transforming yourself to your best possible edition !

For those who have kept an eye on this blog (even though the updates haven't been that frequent lately) , Last February's Challenge is still on and will be both for those who started and kept it up , as for those who gave up or didn't start at all before.

If you are new around , in a few words , I decided to state February as a Month of Changes , when i wanted to share with you my thoughts , tips , advices , motivation for creating a better version of myself in hope of inspiring and supporting each soul out there that wishes to get rid of anything negative , redirecting a whole life to a level of self-respect,confidence and finally joy :)


So !

Here we are all updated , new layouts , lot of excitement for increasing the range of our company and  full of interesting ideas for upcoming articles according to Self Improvement . ( Click on the link to get informed of the whole prospect of this try )

This is the point where I want to thank each one of you , for your time reading my articles , your trust and constant support as long as your feedback. It fills me with joy , hope and motivation to know that people out there have felt like someone is here for them , by their side , sharing his own path and experience with them .

In this life we are all partners after all and that's how we should be . Life's not a competition , we are all gonna make it as long as we take care of ourselves. The only one we should compare at and compete is WHO we have been yesterday. If you wish to be better of who you were last day/month/year , you are on the right spot !

Long words short , Welcome Back and Charge Your life the way you want it to be .

Dream - Dare and Believe you are able to do whatever you passionately desire !

Stay tuned for all the updates and If you liked this whole try , give it a chance to spread and support more souls out there through sharing it . Always feel free to keep in touch for any feedback/question/recommendation or request for a topic you are interested at . Come back soon and till next time , LOVE YOURSELF and TAKE CARE OF IT !

Love ,

Irina

CONTACT INFORMATION

Emails : irina.rhoads@gmail.com & irina.alexopoulou@hotmail.com

Google + : click here

Facebook page :  click here

Twitter : click here

YouTube Channel : /channel/UCoJa8c0GJ4nWce2z_BaUp8w

Skype : irina.alexopoulou

Instagram :irina_lainen_arvoitus 

Pinterest : Irinä Arvoitus

Snapchat : irina_arvoitus