Don’t You Wish You Were Us

This post is a little different from my others, it is less about empowering myself and a little bit about my appreciation for my big brother and the empowerment/love I have received from him. So here we go:

In life, we are blessed to cross paths with people of all kinds and we stumble upon people we build relationships with and people we come to love; but we always forgot to recognize people that we were blessed with from the beginning. I am not just talking about our parents or our family in general, but more specifically, our siblings. Since the day I was born, my big brother was the person I looked up to, the person I always wanted to be around, my best friend and the kid I knew would be in it with me for life.

It is always disheartening to hear from others that they do not have strong relationships with their siblings because, for me, having a brother has saved my life so many times. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when we fight and want to rip each others heads off but when push comes to shove and when there seems like there is nothing left, he has always been and will always be the person that will be by my side and have my back without a doubt.

Growing up we did everything together, I mean, we were so close in age that we could learn majority of things together. We played t-ball together. We did karate. We learned how to ride our bikes together. I watched all his baseball games and got to be the team sister. He came to all my dance recitals and competitions. We got to walk to school together. Then, once we both learned to drive, we drove to school together. We cheered together and learned how to tumble together, then we would always challenge one another to get better while simultaneously being each other’s biggest fan. We got to go to Worlds together 3 years in a row. We would always be the ones to stand up and say if he goes I go or if she goes I do. It was always a team effort, we stuck up for each other, we pushed each other, and we succeeded together. I have always felt proud to say, “that is my brother!”

Along with all the fun and cool things we have gotten to do together, he has always been the best friend and rock that I could ever ask for. On days where I did not want to get out of bed or go to practice, he would always be the first to say something that made me smile and get me out of my room. He would offer to watch our favorite shows or movies, or we would listen to all our favorites songs in the car. If one of us had a bad practice, we would grab a mountain dew or pizza on the way home and if you know my brother, you would know that this was no surprise. Thinking back, those are some of my favorite memories: our drives to school, practices, competitions, etc.

After 19 years, I have also realized that there is no better person to talk to then my big brother, or sit in silence with if the situation comes. Still to this day, I know that if anything is wrong he is one of the first to notice by the slightest change in my normal day-to-day self. One day, we were on our way to practice and I was having a really rough time, and he said to me, “JoVee, I know there is something wrong when the past couple days you haven’t sang a single song that you normally would call one of your favorites” and boy was he right. I call literally every song that I like, “one of my favorite songs” so I knew that in that moment, I had to fess up with what was going on because it was obvious to him. That is when our love for music conspired and when we started sharing all our favorite songs together.

Recently this love for sharing music with one another became much more significant. Earlier this year, we both were going through hard times and he began sending me songs of the day to help me cope with the things I was going through. It made our sibling-ship even stronger. Along with that, he had me start playing Fortnite with him, which surprisingly enough has been so much fun and a great way for us to stay talking to each other while being a little far from one another and having busy schedules. I was able to learn something new and that has helped me stay close with my big brother. (By the way, he is low-key really good at Fortnite and League and you should look him up).

Long story short, big brothers and siblings are super cool. They care so much about their younger siblings and always want what is best for you and never want you to feel alone. I hope if for some reason you don’t have a good relationship with your sibling that you change that, and that you take time to grow a stronger bond with your sibling because there is nothing better than having a person who is in it with you until the end. I don’t know what you and your siblings call each other but we like to say “#JarrettSiblings”, it means so much more to us than just a sibling-ship, and I hope you find something similar with your own siblings because it will ensure you never feel alone against the world. I miss the days we lived under the same roof and I think we took advantage of that too often because we never hung out and now we talk more than we ever have while living 8 hours apart.

 

As cool as we are you don’t want to regret not getting close with your siblings and wishing you were us. You should want other people to wish they were you and your siblings. Only you guys have the power to change that.

 

JoVee

It’s Not Too Late

I realize I have not been around my blog in a while and I have been thoroughly upset about that but I was just very busy this Summer pursuing many opportunities that I was given and I was having a blast because this was the first Summer, I think I have ever had where my life wasn’t built around a cheer or dance schedule. In short, I got to be apart of many things bigger than myself, by attending many concerts with family and friends, going on an incredible trip with my Dutch Bros family to Coacha, being apart of a few weddings, getting to go home and visit family and friends, and pursuing my side hustle in Arbonne. This post may seem sporadic, but I promise it is all connected by one common denominator.

One of the things I cherish the most about this Summer was the fact that throughout these opportunities I got to rekindle old friendships, create new friendships and strengthen my current friendships, and my heart has never been so full. I have always valued my friendships and believe in giving out a lot of love to those who surround you but, unfortunately, sometimes friendships fall off and people have fall outs that lead them down different paths. Many of my friendships seemed to have taken this hard left turn, in high school and then, even more so, when I moved away from everyone to go to college, although, I really wish they hadn’t. I did not move far but being 8 hours from everyone who is only 15 minutes from each other can leave you feeling left out and often lonely.

Experiencing this was hard for me especially when I have had a majority of the same friend group since I was in 7th or 8th grade; we have all grown together, supported one another, and been there for each other through most of our ups and downs. I have always valued these people and loved them unconditionally but when I moved I took the risk in losing the connections I had and risked not talking to them or seeing them as often as I would like because I had something I wanted to pursue here while they all had something they wanted to pursue there and we have all grown a little bit apart but when we are together it is as if we never left which makes being apart a lot less difficult. But with being far from my friends, I have not had the easiest time creating new friends where I live just because I have not really had the chance to show people who I really am or get to know them as well as I liked and I think not having m friends from home added on to feeling like I was unable to make friends took a harsh toll on me, until this Summer.

This Summer, I had opportunity to make a last-minute decision to go to Coacha, a huge Dutch Bros conference that was placed in Sacramento, California and lets just start by saying this experience changed my life. I was able to spend 3 days with a few of the people I work with and we took a 12 hour bus ride, went to this Coacha pre-party where we got to interact with other Dutch Bros employees from all over, got up at 4am for our conference to be first in the door, we got to hear from one of the owners of Dutch Bros about his why and love for this company, we drank a million rebels and then topped the night off with a concert where CVBZ, Kyle, and Khalid performed. It was so awesome and I had the time of my life being with my Dutch family. Who would have known you can truly enjoy a job and the people that surround you at it so much? I never thought I would have a job where I feel so loved, where I am appreciated for who I am and where I feel like I belong, and all the while it is just a coffee shop, but once you get inside of that coffee shop, it is so much different.

Additionally, this Summer, I went to Night in the Country this year, which may not be everyone’s thing but I LOVE country music and more importantly, it is my moms favorite part of the year and for the first time in 9 years I got to be apart of her experience. If you have no idea what NITC is, it’s a 3 night country festival where about 8 country artists perform on the main two nights and it’s just one huge party with a whole lot of people out in Yerington, Nevada.  At Night in the Country, I, not only got to see some of my favorite country artists, but I also was able to reconnect with people who were my absolute best friends in the 6th grade. We all hung out, sang loud, danced, and talked about life like we never have before for 3 straight days. It was something I really needed but did not realize until after the fact because you do not realize how much you have missed people until they’ve been gone and you get to reconnect with them and remember why you were the greatest of friends in the first place. Surprisingly enough, in the middle of nowhere,  where you really have no cell phone service, you can have a lot more deep conversations than you anticipated. We all talked about where we fell off, why we never tried to talk again and what we have been doing in the mean time and there were no hard feelings, just happiness for one another for where we have gotten. It was heart warming to know that although we all stopped talking, we all still cared about one another’s successes and wanted to help with the downfalls that we were all facing but were too afraid to talk about.

Another one of my favorite events this Summer was on 8/18/18, the day my dad got married and I got to be in the wedding! My dad and I have never had the greatest relationship, he knows it and so do I but this day meant so much and I think it was a new peak in our relationship. I got to see my dad say “I do” to his second chance at love and I do not think I have ever been so proud of my own father for something. A few of his close friends mentioned to me how he was so excited that I would be there and be apart of his big day and honestly each time I heard that I wanted to cry happy tears.  I was so in awe of him and his, now, wife, because their wedding had so much authentic love and it gave me yet another expectation of how I want my relationship to not only look, but feel.

More of my summer activities included my side hustle Arbonne where we promote healthy living inside and out and we share our love with the world. This is a “lifestyle”–or how we like to describe it anyway.  I attended a couple other concerts as well but I am going to save my music talk for one of my next blogs to come because music is a whole other dimension of passion and love for me.

Now you might be wondering, alright, cool we know all about your summer now so what was the point? Well my point was it is never too late. Never too late to find that job you love, it’s never too late to reconnect with old friends or reunite with current ones, it is never too late to pursue a hustle that you believe in, and it is never too late to experience things that will change your life, but you have to be willing to take that first step. At the beginning of this year, I did not think that this would be where I was 9 months later, I do not think I could have even thought this was possible for me with where my head was at but, now, I am feeling so much happier and I am seeing so much progression.

The little things have all added up for me, and it is never too late for them to add up for you too.

 

With the most love,

JoVee

 

Sorry, Not Sorry

For some people living unapologetically is very easy, while others struggle with it a little bit more. Now, you may be asking “well what would you say living unapologetically particularly means to you?” To me, living unapologetically means living a life where you have goals, hopes, dreams and are not afraid to say “I am living my life this way, for these following reasons because I have a goal to get to and I am currently falling short and I know I deserve more.” Living unapologetically means living a life that you do not need to be apologizing for simply because others do not understand your perspective or the goals you have in mind.

I would say that I fall into the latter group, the one who kind of struggle buses at living unapologetically, the one who expects a large amount from their self and falls short. I fill my plate very full, I have two jobs, I have a boyfriend, a social life, I just moved into my own apartment with my best friend and I try my best to make time for my family even though they live all over. I have found it somewhat difficult to live unapologetically especially when trying to focus on my own personal goals and dreams. Sometimes I find it hard because of the people around me and other times I find it hard because I am my biggest critic, but aren’t we all? We criticize everything about ourselves from the inside out and as a human that is just something we create a habit of doing… But what if, we created a piece in our mind that built us up and talked back to the critic inside us? We created a habit that speaks up, we combat the negative comments we tend to make, we create positivity from the inside out, we spread positivity to our self and surround our self with it. Then, when other people make negative comments about our journey to a goal, it does not bother us because it is a general negative comment that we already combated in our self.

For example, I have been on my Arbonne business’s 30 Days to Healthy Living challenge for two weeks now. The specific program I am on focuses on eliminating wheat/gluten, yeast, dairy, soy, vinegar, highly acidic drinks, processed foods, sugar and alcohol. So I eat very balanced meals, four times a day at four specific times. I can eat a large variety of foods, but when with friends out eating I really stay disciplined to figuring out the ingredients in each thing I am eating to make sure I am following the guidelines set forth by my program. It gets tedious and I guess can be annoying to those who may not want to know what they are eating, but for me, it is important to assure I am giving my body the correct and approved ingredients and nutrients I am supposed to insure my success on the program. Now, I also promote this program to my social media platforms because it has really been a rewarding experience for myself these past two weeks and I cannot wait to see what I have achieved in two weeks from now when I conclude my first 30 Days to Healthy Living challenge. I promote it because it is an amazing experience and also is a part of my job as an Arbonne consultant. In return, I often get rude messages about how people do not care about my job, my posts promoting products are annoying, stupid or are too much, etc. As a consultant, it comes with the job, you get people who do not know the business, do not believe it or do not want to learn more but as a client, it is a little hurtful but expected so I often catch myself apologizing about sharing it so much.  But in reality, it is alright, I understand that others do not have the same goals of growing a business or promoting a healthier body or mind for their self or others and I have started to brush it off easier each time it occurs.

Another example using the same context, I was eating out with my boyfriend and best friend at Cafe Rio the other day for lunch. I just get a bowl with rice, black beans and chicken because it follows my rules but I had gotten a red sauce that I was concerned had dairy or gluten in it so I brought it up in conversation and we were searching up the menu online with ingredients while the lady at the table next to us kept turning around to get me a dirty look after each ingredient.  It began to offend me, in turn, I kept loudly apologizing for being so annoying or being so pronounced in my research, until my boyfriend and bestfriend acknowledged that maybe they just do not think to know the ingredients in what they are eating so hearing it out loud might interest them or disinterest them for their own reason. They basically ignored my apology because they know what I am doing and both are supporters of my goals and it helped me become more comfortable in working on myself without apology.

After weeks of this journey, I have learned we often apologize for trying to work on someone we want to be, someone we are , or someone we are working on. We apologize like our growth is a problem or annoyance to others.  We apologize for promoting something we are lucky and able to receive  or that we are happy to have. We should never have to apologize for progress or authenticity. When apologizing, it is done out of feeling bad or like we are in the wrong, and it in turn gives us feelings of shame or guilt that we should not feel when making a positive change in who we are. There is absolutely no need to apologize for the goodness you are implementing into your life or the person you are proud to be.  Live your life unapologetically and be unapologetically who you are. Remember to surround yourself with people who support you being 100% you and not letting you slip up. Make sure you start with your biggest circle of influence–yourself. Then, your family, your friends and your coworkers. It is okay to ask for support and to distance yourself from those who do not support you the way you deserve.

So if you are feeling up to it, maybe you journal like me or maybe you need a little self reflection, and just take a small moment to create your own definition of living unapologetically: what would living a life you are proud of and not apologizing for look like to you, where would you be, who would be there standing by your side, how would you feel, what would you achieve along the way? Be honest with yourself. Be authentic.  Take a moment to picture yourself being someone you are so comfortable with and deeply proud of. What does this life entail and what is it that is holding you back?

Now that you have a picture: Empower that lifestyle, who you are, and at the next bus stop, get off that struggle bus and conquer becoming your unapologetic self.

Love from a girl who is doing just the same,

JoVee

 

We’re All In This Together

Could you imagine having to live in a world alone? Who would you be? Without the guidance or love from family, friends, teachers, fellow classmates or teammates, coworkers, etc. what kind of person do you think you would be? Would you be the same person you are today or different?

Have you ever looked around yourself  at your friend circle and the people you spend the most time with? Have you ever noticed that you guys tend to have the same slang, use the same phrases, have all these inside jokes, and act very similar? That is because we are a mixture of our 5-6 closest friends. When we are surrounded by a certain group of people that we admire, we eventually develop similar characteristics and similar interests and we invest or time doing things altogether.

In my life, I have been surrounded by many groups; family, friends, dance teams, cheer teams, close family friends, etc. From each group I have learned many things that add to my personality and characteristics. My family taught me about unconditional love and chasing dreams no matter how out of reach they may seem. My friends have taught me about importance of competition and also supporting people in achievements even if the achievements are not yours.  My dance team always had open arms and families who welcomed you into their home. My cheer team was always the people who saw you in your worst possible moments but did nothing but love and support you. The teams I coached show me the importance of being a role model and understanding the influence you have on people.  These groups each evolved me into who I am and I consider them my greatest circles of influence thus far.

But, there have also been people in my life that created negativity, toxicity and more hardships than happiness. These people brought their negativity upon me, I felt more stressed and mad more often, these people affected me in bad ways and they were always too busy looking at the bad to ever be the least bit of happy. They started to have a strain on me and I realized I was starting to create their negative tendencies to invoke negative energy into the world and their bad decisions were starting to wear off on me. When I realized myself taking on these tendencies, I knew I needed to cut these relationships and friendships out of my life.  This hit me hard recently when I realized I was a part of a program that stood for a lot of things that I disagreed with and it took a toll on me. I was embedded in a group of people who would rather see me tore down than built up, a group of people who prided on picking out the flaws in people and then were defended when brought to the attention of people who actually had the power to prevent the problems but never did. It created a bubble of negativity and I was stuck in it. The only way to get out of it was to really take a step back and start addressing each piece before I became someone who I never wanted to be or someone who others associated with people who I did not want to be like. So, that is what I did. I took advantage of the biggest circle of influence I have, myself. Then, I used my autonomy over who I want to be to establish my ground and get myself out of the bubble. It was hard to get out and it took being blunt to do so, but doing it helped minimize almost all of the negative energy that I was absorbing at the time.

Using my personal autonomy was a huge step for a girl who lost all her confidence and a girl who could not really stand seeing herself being altered by people who never deserved the ability to change who she was or how she saw herself. As a result, I created steps to a “foundation ladder”  that would eventually help me get back up to who I wanted to be and I took that first step when I confronted the negativity head on. Since then, I have continued to take many steps on my ladder and they each contributed to helping build myself back up, creating a positive environment, making new friends that impact me in a positive way, getting out of my comfort zone to discover other things in the world, and trying to be a person that more people want to be like or be friends with.

There are so many steps you can take when trying to diminish negativity but looking at the people you surround yourself with can be a huge step in getting rid of toxicity. Sometimes, it is easy to talk to those people and maybe help them notice their negative energy that they give off. But most often, people cannot take the honesty or do not know how to put an end to their tendencies, and even though it may be difficult, it may be easier to put an end to the friendship and come back to it later if and when the opportunity arises. The worst part is when you are the negative friend though, you are not as good at picking out the bright side or you feel like you have the worst luck in the world. There is still ways to go about this too, try looking at the bright side more often, find the lesson to be learned,  pick out the positive thing that happened even if it was tiny and soon you will start realizing that holding your negative energy is much harder than letting it go and replacing it with positive energy. People will want to be around you more, they will want to develop your perspective and they will appreciate your energy so much more.

So, if you are struggling with something about yourself or you feel like you are starting to act in a way that you dislike, take a close look at those you surround yourself with most often and you will notice you guys are a lot more similar than it may seem. Invest time into making yourself someone you appreciate more and let those around you develop the same idea.

Breed positivity from deep in your soul and kill the world with kindness, the negatives really are not as important as we tend to identify them as.  They do help us grow when we find paths to turn them into positives but it is so much more important to be apart of an environment that is uplifting, positive, caring and honest even if it means being the first person to create that in your environment.

Empower the environment that surrounds you more than you let it empower you,

JoVee

Right Here, Right Now

Today, after a while of not blogging, I am reflecting on my first year of college, my new adventures and all that this year left me with. I parted ways with friends and family, to come to a whole new world. I made new friends, tried new things, lived in a whole new place, faced some of my hardest obstacles, struggled in ways many would never know,  lost myself a couple of times but gained better knowledge of myself and who I want to be.

At the start of this year I was excited to start a new journey with new people, it was invigorating and terrifying all at the same time. I had incredible experiences like going to my first college cheer camp,  partaking in community service all over the area, cheering in football games, and going to my first college nationals in Disneyworld. I was able to get closer with friends and I had friends from home surprise me on my birthday. I got to go to a Demi Lovato concert and a Logic concert with my best friends.  I also made new friends who after a very short amount of time have become like family to me and treat me like nothing short of their bloodline. All, while building a stronger relationship with my boyfriend and becoming someone who I am prouder and prouder of everyday. Looking back, these things were the foundation of my new found love for my new home.

Unfortunately, there were hard times too like getting injured, having surgery, feeling isolated, being very lonely, being in a town where a mass shooting occurred, falling into depression, watching those closest to me fall into it as well, and feeling rather hopeless. I did not talk to really anyone for a while, I refused to talk to my family, I did not want them to know or have to worry about me. I was not eating a lot and barely anything at all. I lost a lot of motivation to go to class, do homework and go workout, which are things that have never been hard for me and I struggled with them all. But with the help of my family, my boyfriend and my bestfriend who is also my roommate, I built up some courage to work through it all. It was not easy, it took a lot of big decisions to redirect myself but I am proud I had/have people who were willing to work so hard with me to build me back up and get me to where I am now.

This year forced me to grow, I faced some darkness and grew into the light and I am very grateful for it. Now, I have finished my freshmen year with all A’s and B’s, after one of the hardest school semesters ever, and I am so ready to start my sophomore year of college with nothing but determination and big goals. I move into an apartment with my best friend in two weeks after months of trying to find an apartment where we would feel comfortable and I have two jobs after not being able to even get a second call or interview at most places.  And, my boyfriend and I are doing better than we ever have even after a crazy year of finding ourselves in completely different lights.  This all has taken a sense of hope and faith that things will work out in the end and sure enough, they really have. With growth and a little bit of love and support from those closest to me, I am finally feeling comfortable in my own skin again and with where I am. So right here, right now,  is all about being content with your climb and the progress you’ve made. Whether you are finally coming out of the darkness, getting out of something toxic, becoming someone you love a little bit more, experiencing happiness, or even just beginning the journey to something new and better. The progression is the most significant part, but enjoying the result is equally rewarding. Empower your progress, your journey and your result. Get to a point where you finally feel content and then build more goals and strive for those.

As always, much love,

JoVee

Breaking Free

Feeling like you are on the right path and you are happy with where you are at, can be exciting and positive. Unfortunately, it can also be a negative, especially if you would prefer to stay in the position of contentedness rather than pursuing growth and making progress towards another goal.

Complacency is probably one of the worst feelings we all experience. We want to get better but we would rather be comfortable and safe. The only problem with this is some people let complacency win, while others chase a new dream across the line of where their comfort zone ends. Complacency could be a great motivator for those who have the strength to turn obstacles in to a more positive light. But not all of us have the strength to be able to face our struggles let alone alter them into a conquerable wall. In turn, complacency can be the first step into ruining our life in the long run and changing everything we are. Complacency has the ability to ruin relationships, can destroy your job position, can get you kicked off a team or even encourage you to want to self destruct. Obviously complacency is not the end of the world but being okay with being complacent is something you should never strive for, because nobody wants a mediocre life.

To not fall into complacency daily, we do things like go through school where each year you change grades, you get a job and work for promotions or new assignments, you move to a new place, you switch up your daily routine, you wake up early to start your day off at the gym, you take an extra 15 minutes to read and let your mind expand, you find time for your kids in your crazy schedule, you shoot a message to a friend, you get one step closer to that dream job, dream car, dream lifestyle, etc.

Personally, I have struggled also, ever since my unique but restricting knee injury. Following my knee injury, I was told it seemed to just be a beep bruise on the bone and that it would go away after 6-8 weeks but when those 6-8 weeks passed and I had not progressed away from any pain, the doctor became more concerned. Everyone, I saw was unsure of what the problem could be, no MRI or X-Ray seemed to show a major problem. As a result of no resolution or idea, I basically gave up, I hit a low point of not wanting to try anymore to strengthen it, I was okay with it being hurt, I thought that maybe I did not need the strenuous activity that cheer had put on my body anymore. What I did not realize was how hard sitting out everyday would be or how it would make me feel about myself especially after never being injured or out for a season. It was difficult, I did feel isolated, and I felt like there was no need for me to keep trying to better my knee. So I started to distance myself from the one thing that had always kept me going and I let the complacency take over me, until seeing an incredible Athletic Trainer, who really seemed to care about how I had been feeling with my injury. After the first day of seeing him, he made me go home and think about what I wanted to do in the future; did I want to continue cheer, did I want to just be able to walk and run comfortably, did I want to build my body back up to uphold my tumbling abilities, or did I just want to stay as I was.

Of course, I went home. I journaled out my goals, I thought about what I wanted to do which included: running and being able to go to the gym. I wrote out what that might mean giving up: cheer and tumbling. But I wrote down who I wanted to be: I really just wanted to feel better than I did and I wanted to be able to continuously grow even if it meant without something that has always defined me –cheer. As a result, I went back and was ready for surgery, it was scheduled, I had my surgery, I was on crutches for 2-3 weeks, I gave up cheerleading and then, sadly but for the best, I realized I was ready to start something new and get out of my comfort zone. I started going to the gym, I started lifting–which I have never done– and I did it five days straight and felt great.

It took perspective though, it took taking a moment to step back and inspecting my life and goals, to realize what I really needed to do. But once, I did it once, I found it is easier to make another step towards becoming exactly who I want to be. We finds ways to break out of our complacency bubbles and conquer something new, quite often. We move out, we relocate, we go to college, and we apply for a new job. We take that job in another state to experience something different. We finish projects we never thought we could. We do something for ourselves that is life altering but good for us in the long run. We invest our time and greatness into something worthwhile. We stand up for ourselves and realize we deserve better and we move forward with our lives so that we never stay in one place.

Break out of that comfort zone and free that complacent mindset! Become your greatest goal, we might love who we are now, but imagine how much more you would love yourself when your reality and your dreams collide. Do not get comfortable, you really can be everything you have ever dreamed. Empower yourself, empower your mind, and empower your dreams.

Breaking free from her own complacency too,

JoVee

The Start of Something New

Starting something new seems intimidating, we fear the unknown, we cannot fathom stepping out of our comfort zone. All my life, I have been told to follow my dreams and chase them no matter how impossible they may seem. This was more of a spontaneous and insane idea that I decided might be reasonable to go after anyways. Today, I just want to explain a little bit about me, and welcome you to my world.

I have always had a crazy busy life, I grew up with divorced parents but have the most supportive family members and lucked out with awesome step parents. I have many siblings, older and younger, I’d say the coolest around but of course, we all think that about our siblings. I have great friends near and far who are dear to my heart and a boyfriend who makes me feel like a queen. I have tried many sports and hobbies, of which, I do not think were for me, for instance; t-ball, tae kwon do, and snowboarding. I liked to make sand castles in the outfield, do cartwheels to wow my sparring partners and preferred sledding over snowboarding. I did all natural pageants, I was a dancer and a cheerleader, and I coached both. I have attended many schools and I just moved away to go to college to major in psychology and be on the cheer team. I just had knee surgery and have scars that look like the closed eye emoji. I like to pretend I can sing, but I mostly just do it for fun and to make people –including myself– laugh. I wish I had a hedgehog as a pet. I probably eat enough cereal for five people. I drink way too much coffee but love it too much to let it go and I am in total love with the show One Tree Hill.

My world has not always been sunshine and rainbows and I doubt that it ever will be, but the penumbras are what makes us the person we are today.  I am very fortunate for where I am today and cannot wait to see my future. If you do not feel this way too then what can you change to feel this way?

Have you ever noticed that everywhere you have been and are were started with the courage to try? You would be surprised the amount of times you tried something new; your first day of school, your first job, your first date, your first cake, your first conference, your first big project, your first game, etc. Everything has a first, so make today a brand new first! Shoot, start that new project you have pushed off for a long time, try that new skill you have been wanting to try, dive into that book you have had on your desk for weeks, write that letter, talk to that person, create that idea that has floated around your head. If it fails try something else new, until you find something you love. You can do this, you just need the courage to believe it. I promise to try something new too!

 

Love Always,

 

JoVee

Introducing Me

Hello!

My name is JoVee, and just like you, I am powerful, valuable and deserving of the world. I have completely changed my life, recently, due to a few major decisions and started a new journey of blogging, simply because I have a love for writing and have found that a piece of my heart wants to change the world, even if that means helping only one person.

Why blogging?

Well, for the past eight years I have been involved in a sport that I always had a fiery passion for and this year, I, unfortunately, lost that passion and felt that I lost a piece of myself in the process. After feeling lost, I made the decision to part ways with my favorite sport in the whole world to, hopefully, rediscover myself in a different light. As a way to express myself, I have always written in a journal. When writing in my journal, I would write a short summary of my day, how I had felt, then, I would write three things or people I was grateful for (my gratitudes). After, I would find a quote that I felt wrapped up something positive about my day and write it at the bottom of my page, because I love quotes and now, I have a book full of them for inspiration and reminders.

Today, while writing in my journal, I had this crazy idea that maybe my journaling could be helpful and relatable to others. Why I had this BOLD thought, I am unsure of and it actually seemed to scare me a little, until the first quote I had seen when searching was …

And now here I am. So I leave you here with this word of advice; sometimes doing the thing that you are scared of is the thing that is actually bridging together your present self and your future self. Be brave, grab the rope, and take your first step onto your bridge. I believe in you, now believe in yourself. EmPOWER you.

With Love,

JoVee