Let Those With Passion Eat Cake

“Purpose places the desire and passion creates its continuous hunger.”-The answer to why Purpose + Passion = Greatness (Mmmhmm)

“Being Driven with No Engine is like searching for purpose with no passion and baking a cake with no eggs… “-True words from The Chef of Life

Yes…I know a cake can be baked without eggs but we’re not talking about that so…

I’ve often wondered… if you don’t know your purpose, can passion be present on your route to getting there? And is it possible to be passionate in all that we do?

That's deep.

 

So since we're all thinking the same thing now...

I decided to create these 6 steps through a Peanut Butter Sheet Cake recipe (because this cake is goood)… to demonstrate accessing passion, keeping passion flowing no matter where we are on our journey, and being satisfied!

 Sound like a plan? Okay!

Recipe SideNote: If you’re allergic or hate peanuts…any other cake recipe will do…although you can substitute the peanut butter with something of the same consistency!

Now let’s get into it!!

1 // Go to the store. Get the ingredients.

+Know what YOU want. 

+Find out/research what it takes to get it.

++And go where it is.++

Go where “it” is and get “it!”

…

It’s a waste of time to show up for something, do nothing, and go home…

THEN later…

Realize that YOU/ME/WE have/had the power in our capacity and capabilities (all a long) to achieve what we desire!

 GYC SideNote (note to self):

We simply can’t afford to live that crazy any more…WE CAN’T…NO. Girl…YOU Are TOO Courageous for that (and YOU know it)!!

2 // Lay out the ingredients. Pre-heat the oven. Prepare.  

+Know what you have, get ready to use it…then start using it.

Sometimes passion is forgotten because we’ve forgotten what we ARE made of.

++Look at those ingredients as having ALL The Equipment to get the job done. And Prepare (that's right...Get Ready, Be Ready, Stay Ready!!)++

3 // Drink some water because I’m sure your kitchen is getting pretty hot!

+Refresh yourself.

  You may be superwoman but you’re not a super human! It is okay if you need a break with a time limit.

Passion keeps things fresh…so it is M-U-S-T that we Re-fresh!!

Remember…YOU/Me/We are refreshing…not being or getting lazy/putting it off till “tomorrow” (you know… because “tomorrow never comes”). Just refreshing!

In case you didn’t hear me the first 50 times…

Okay…break over…

4 // Mix it all together like you know what you’re doing because you do!! And do it with the manner of wanting to be proud/satisfied/excited/insert your desired expression here _______.

+Don’t look for the expression and you didn’t do the instructions.

Combine all of who you are into what you are pursuing to achieve.

5 // Now, put the pressure on it with some expectation that what you set out to achieve…YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH!

Quick GYC Commentary

I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page… that you did not use your gas, money, time and effort…thinking you’re about to create something nasty or something you never want to speak of again…right? Right. That's all!

“Girl YOU Crazy”-You (I know you were thinking it…)

Recipe SideNote: If you don’t have enough powdered sugar, make it a glaze instead of frosting…and it is just as delicious! Also…you can bake it in a brownie/casserole pan to make it thicker!

6 // Eat the cake.

+Enjoy and be proud of what was accomplished.

ENJOY YOUR LIFE!!! Say it with me, “I will enjoy my life!!!”

++Get a glass of milk or whatever you fancy and EAT THAT CAKE because it’s good (so good) and YOU had the privilege of making it.++

Last Note (and I'm done...)

Life always has directions/instructions. Sometimes they’re external and other times internal. Know your voice among voices. LISTEN. And passionately pursue your purpose like you’re going to Eat That Cake with the intention of being satisfied!

Purpose and Passion reside within, and because each day has a purpose...each day can have passion, excitement and joy. It's all about how YOU approach it, and the "why" you're living!

Passion gets stirred when we’re focused on the substance of what we set out to achieve.

So...

Those with passion…

LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!

Tell me, how do you access your passion?

Defeating Crazy with Courage,

Lauren Alicia

P.S. I purposely didn’t provide an example of how the cake SHOULD look…because however YOUR cake looks… is THE example!!

 (Although if YOU just need to…there’s a link below, Enjoy!)

Recipe Source: Le Gourmet TV

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Have YOU checked out the Lifestyle section…it’s A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Perspective of Self: A Leopard and Its Spots…

“You’re wrong…things could be worse.”-Hope for Change Campaign… (does/if that exist?! hmmm)

“What’s bad may be bad but don’t let it stop you from seeing the good, and correcting the pain through a vision of change.”-Perspective

Disclaimer: This post may seem all over the place…but then again, THIS is GYC-GirlYOUCrazy.com and that’s what you came here for…so…

SideNote… Have YOU checked out the new L I F E S T Y L E section???

And back to it…

Recently I’ve been hearing/considering the phrase, “a leopard never changes its spots”…have you heard it?

Of course you have! But if not…it’s an old phrase about people not being able to change who they are… It’s a pretty hopeless phrase that I do admit to using…but now it’s time to confront it! Hello Growth!!

So, it had me thinking… If “a leopard never changes its spots” then how can people grow and be better? How can we ditch the weaknesses, uplift the strengths…and allow the change to be visual/noticeable?

Then, I realized… Perspective changes everything! Growth doesn’t come from thinking you’re the worst person in the world… it’s ignited/set on fire/initiated/begins when we recognize that we can/want/need to be better for whatever important reason!

Let me say it again… PERSPECTIVE CHANGES EVERYTHING! No matter how life may be, YOU, ME, WE will always have the opportunity to determine what we see!

And Perspective of Self helps you see your worst days as your best days (or at least preparation for better days)!

A “leopard” may not be able to change its spots but it can decide how it wears them!

Let no person write you off as someone that can’t grow and be better! And understand that there is a difference in people not wanting to wait for that moment of change to be realized.

This post is about how YOU, ME, WE see ourselves and the “spots” that others may see (just in case you didn’t get that from the title or all the other stuff above…). 

The thing is WE ALL have “spots” and at times we will have to apologize for how the spots make others feel… but the other thing is WE ALWAYS have the choice to work our negatives into positives and our weaknesses into strengths!

A couple GYC Notes on making your “spots” work for YOU:

+ Be honest with YOURSELF (know your “spots”) aka know that you are among a WHOLE WORLD of people with spots…it is OKAY! The difference is HOW YOU wear them!!

+ Give your “spots” a perspective that serves you…not hurt you. Growth is a powerful choice, and remaining stuck is a choice that takes your power away.

+ Understand that Change is a Decision and Growth is a Process. Forgive yourself! And remember…YOU are still standing!

+ Identify and know their influence. Just like a team calculates the actions of their opponents… so they can win the game…so shall you with your weaknesses… Work those “spots” to your advantage and make them strengths that serve you and others (habits)! 

Sometimes we allow our weaknesses or mistakes to stop us as if our purpose stopped but that’s a lie and a moment to choose how we will decide to move.

+ Make the choice to be better a non-issue because we can talk about our problems and so-called flaws allllllllllll day long but tell me… when has elevating the problem ever brought a solution, especially concerning your growth???

+ Remember…it’s one thing to know, identify and decide…and another to live all of that out loud.

And lastly...

+ How do YOU want to see yourself? And how do you want people to see you? No, we can’t change how people feel about us…but we can change what/how we present ourselves!!

With Boldness and Confidence may WE all wear our “spots” as lessons and experience, instead of pain, frustration and defeat!

A leopard may not be able to change its spots but it can decide how it wears them!

Let no person write you off as someone that can’t grow and be better!

Defeating Crazy with Courage,

Lauren Alicia, GYCGirl…Growing with YOU!

Introducing: Girl YOU Crazy Lifestyle

Girl YOU Crazy Lifestyle is a documented journey of fashion, food, people, sweets, random inspirational somethings & basically the GYCGirl Living Courageously!!! Aside from style posts (since I don’t photograph myself…sometimes…), this blog is photographed and curated by Lauren Alicia, the founder and owner of GYC-GirlYOUCrazy.com (blog + collaborative).

Through the limitless of the #ICAN…We Live.

I’m finally sharing different aspects of my life and findings with the world! You’ll see my face in addition to the logo and my reactions to my experiences… not always lessons learned/learning like the original blog but my honesty R E M A I N S.

I decided to use the #ICAN because before we decide to do…we have to decide in some manner that WE CAN. Therefore,  #ICanStyle #ICanMotivate #ICanEat #ICanTravel #ICanExplore #ICanLearn…And more… just watch!!

Read More

Get the Hair Out YOUR Drain

GET THE HAIR OUT OF YOUR DRAIN!!!

…“Get the hair out of your drain”?????

Girl, WHERE is this going???

For some of you…all you needed to read was “Get the hair out of your drain” and that was enough…

It spoke to you (Mmmhmm)!!!

BUT…

For the curious, join me on this possibly quick journey…

 (I can’t make any promises)…

Some GYC Pre-SideNote Rant-like Commentary

Hair grows from you. It falls out daily… for some of us it’s natural and we’re not balding, we don’t lose sleep over it but when it clogs our drain, it forces us to stand in dirt (and whatever else you’re washing off…that’s your business)… because of something we let go of…

It forces us to deal with something we already thought we dealt with…

So…I saw this quote on Facebook or Pinterest (I can’t remember) but its substance is extremely powerful, “if you let it go, where did it go?” As in… Could you possibly be standing in its influence, did you tell yourself you let it go but you’re really hoping it never left, and/or you’re not sure if you really let it go because you didn’t know the truth of the situation, or you’re like me…and you just didn’t want to be honest?

Alright, let’s start from the beginning…

You washed your hair…your drain gets clogged…and now you’re standing in the dirt that you just washed off…because of something you let go of…

You follow? Okay.

…

If you’re wondering where this post came from…

I was in the shower washing my hair, and trying to make sure my hair didn’t clog the drain…

And I started to think…

How much stuff have we 'washed' off or out but are still standing in its influence?

This is starting to sound a little like “Funky Guests Make Your Whole House Funky” Right?? But it’s not (I think? …This is possibly a different level).

………………………..

GYC SideNote: Sometimes I just laugh at the moments the shower creates because some of those moments/thoughts get real deep…yep (or at least I think they do...)!

Anyway…

“It’s nothing like standing in the shower with a clogged drain. Everything gets clean but your feet.”-Life, GYC

If you can relate,

Well…

Let’s get the hair out of our drain!!!

Yep…another reality check post for me this 2014…

1.   To clean is to recognize the need. In order to get the hair out of your drain…there has to be hair in it!

We wash our hair for many reasons… But before we decide to wash our hair, we’ve recognized at least one of our many reasons as a need that needs to be fulfilled/achieved/taken care of/you get the picture...

Then we wash our hair.

Basically…

         +Recognize the need

         +Approach the need

         +Realize the solution

         +Live the solution

The thing is…sometimes when we recognize the need it doesn’t help us process and fully understand the solution. Or the solution we find…only provides temporarily for the need, which is where the clogged drain comes in.

When life moves forward don’t let the past haunt.

GYC Personal Commentary…not story

There definitely have been moments in my life recently and of the past that I thought I let go of something…only later to realize that I am still standing in its influence, and now, realizing why I wasn’t REALLY able to let it go… Confronting that part of me began to show the steps I need to take for growth in that area.

It’s great when we can recognize our needs and even more when we are able to take the next step, realize and live the solution.

For me, I needed to “let it go” for that moment since I wasn’t ready to be honest because I didn’t know the honesty of the situation, nor did I care to know. However, since I’ve decided to be in a state of substance and ditch surface only, I’ve started to distinguish the difference of standing in an influence that made me bitter and standing in an influence that made me better. One tracks mud and the other leaves a legacy.

Get the Hair Out Your Drain! And keep it out!!

2.    After you’ve washed your hair… take what came out and decide where it needs to go. If it goes down that drain…it will surely build up and cause you to stand in what you “think/thought” you let go of…

Give that “hair” a burial that can’t be dug up.

Distance your thoughts of the past with a fresh perspective that serves you…

“You ever ask someone to take their shoes off…only to find that their feet or socks are dirty? I don’t have a point to make…I’m just throwing that out there.”

Get the Hair Out Your Drain!

     2a. Let your hair dry. Clear your head.

Our drain gets clogged because we’ve only let go of the surface, we’ve cutoff contact with the person or thing but we’re still allowing it to occupy our thoughts like “it” never left. You know…refusing to be honest about why we let it go and who we’ve become because of its presence and absence in our life.

Allow your thoughts to serve you beauty instead of misery.

Get the Hair Out Your Drain!

3.    Put a mask on (I like a nice moisture mask...) and relax.

Breathe in. Breathe out. And allow the present to live and the future to be born.

It’s always important to remember that you’re still standing. Remember that when you think about looking back with a negative view.

Before I sign off, go to the nearest mirror, look at it and say it with me…

GIRL!!! “Get the hair out of your drain”

And whatever else is in your mirror conversation…

“There is no need to allow the past to hold up your present…let’s push forward with understanding.”

Those steps above are currently on repeat in my life…you know for sanity reasons…

Defeating Crazy With Courage,

Lauren Alicia

Want to take your growth in the post to the next level? Get my NEW book, Dear Divorce, Thank You (Even Though I Hate You)...

Thanks for reading! Be sure to share!! 

I was nominated... My first Liebster Award Nomination!!!

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU to the oh so resourceful, you’ve got beauty questions…she has answers… RENEE OF Beauty School ScArlet!!!!!!! I hopped on Google+ the other day and there was my Liebster Award nomination from Renee (CONGRATUALTIONS TO YOU), extremely honored to be in the mix with 10 other inspiring and full of HELPFUL tips bloggers.

A Liebster Award is an award given via the Internet from another blogger to recognize and/or discover new bloggers. It also allows readers to get to know the blogger from a different point of view by the blogger answering 11 informal random questions presented by the blogger who nominated the nominee. In return, the nominee pays it forward by nominating 11 bloggers for the award.

Get to know me a little more through my answers to Renee’s questions:

1.   Who, what or where does your blogging inspiration come from? My journey and life lessons, if its on my blog…I’ve lived it, learned it or continuing to learn it…I don’t want there to be take-backs to what I tell about my journey, I want to be an open book… So I focus on the story I tell being the life I live or am working to see it in my reality!

2.   What is the best advice you have ever received? When I was preparing for my first ever business meeting, someone told me to know who I am and stick to it.

3.   What motivates you? Life, all its mysteries and wonders, and wanting to have something that I created to leave behind or pass on like a baton.

4.   What is your favorite TV Show or movie? I’m so flaky when it comes to TV shows, I’m currently going through old shows like Freaks & Greeks, Wonderfalls, Boston Public, Harry’s Law and deciding why they didn’t have long life like The Office… so I’ll discuss my favorite movie. Coming to America because for whatever reason…I have watched this movie the most in my life and always like it is the first time I ever saw it, it just never gets old to me. So I’ll give credit where credit is due!

5.    What book would you recommend others to read? Their journal/diary…

6.   What is your dream job? Shoe designer!!!!!!!!!! It’s my biggest dream but I’ve noticed along the way that before I get there…there are smaller dreams that need to be completed first! But I sketch at least once a month…watching this video below just reminded me how beautiful my dream still is to me.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=8BebkVAOvlg

7.   What is your favorite food? Sweet Potato Yams by my mom because I’m picky about what I eat…I make all the “Girl YOU Crazy” faces if I don’t like it. So to be specific and cut out any other questions about anybody else’s food…I don’t like everybody’s’ yams just my mothers, it goes well with her Mac and Cheese… yes, please!

8.   What is guilty pleasure? Ooooo I’m embarrassed but I watch Love and Hip Hop ATL… I apologize phahahahahahaaaaa but there is this one vlogger who has the BEST commentary on the show…it just makes me giggle non-stop!!!!!

Then… Nutella…if there was a meeting…I would go!!!

9.   What is the story behind your blog name? Perspective decides how we see things. And negative words and phrases have the possibility to cloud our perspective. It was a moment of recognizing that “Girl YOU Crazy” can easily enter our thoughts because it’s said with a little laughter but the thing is…it can sometimes linger negatively… So…I flipped the meaning of something playful that can discourage, keeping it playful but using the phrase as fuel to accomplish/complete/finish and live your dream with great expectation & a smile. 

10. What is your favorite drink of choice? Water… that sounds so boring but I had to stop drinking the sweets although Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha and me like to get together like old friends every now and then!

11.   If money were no object, where would be the first place you would travel to? Turks and Caicos, my bags could be packed in minutes!!! … I like to travel to warm weather and be around different accents…and get more use out of my passport so…

Well… now you know a little more about me!!!

Now in paying it forward…I looked up many different rules for choosing your list of 11…so I did a combination… if you would like to pass your nomination to someone else, please let me know, and I will update my list! Thanks…and here is my list of 11:

I enjoy your journeys for different reasons!!

1. For Women to Women

2. Illy Who

3. Kerri Waller

4. Live Laugh Love Post

5. Manicured & Marvelous

6. Mariah Thompson Blog

7. Ms. AmericanPie

8. Nailmattic

9. The Preppy Polka Dot

10. This Girl & The World

11. Reasons To Dress

And here are the questions I would like for you to answer (yes…I know…they are random…):

1.   When people first heard you entered the blogging game…what did they say?

2.   Tell me a movie you watched that no one would believe you learned something valuable from?

3.   What’s your favorite quote?

4.   What makes you LOL, Phahahs, Haaaaa or Hehe?

5.    Fill-in-the-blank… If you could spread ______________ on everything…life would be _______________.

6.   What’s your dream vacation… and who would you invite (even if you don’t know them…)?

7.   What advice would you give to someone considering giving up on their dream/passion?

8.   What’s your favorite magazine (online or print) or book? And would you ever turn your blog into one??

9.   Who or what inspires you the most?

10.  If your favorite color was a love song…what would be the title?

11.  20 years from now…What is one thing you want the older you to know/remember?

Have fun and thanks so much Beauty School ScArlet!!!

-Lauren Alicia…Miss GYC Girl…YOU Know the Rest!