Hello Cuties,

This Cafe Chat is a little later than expected due to the busy semester the girls and I have had. This one will also be a little differently structured than the others, but I hope you will stick around and check it out. This month’s Cafe Chat happened to be mine; I had no clue what to make the topic about but after a crazy month–it hit me. Why do I do the things I do? What motivates me to keep going? Why do I wake up everyday with a driven attitude?

Well, that’s when I knew I had to share this topic with the girls. I want to know what makes them jump out of bed in the morning, what inspires them to keep going and why they are so motivated to achieve their goals. For me, I think my past has been my biggest motivation. I have learned so much from my parents, my experiences and my own mistakes. Every “failure” is a new place to learn. So to start, let me give a little background on myself.

Growing up, I spent most of my time with my mom. My parents are divorced, and they have been since I was two. Since they have been divorced, they have been in and out of other relationships along the way. But, they have always provided for me and I have always had a great life. When I mention this to others though, they often feel bad for me and say sorry. But, I am actually not ashamed of this nor do I wish to change it. Sure, we had our struggles. Holidays were weird and I moved a couple of times, but without these things I would not be the person I am today. I wouldn’t have the motivation that I do to work harder and I don’t think I would appreciate the little things in life. My parents were not meant for each other, and I am thankful to have the life I do.

Watching my parents struggle has motivated me to work harder toward my goals, they have taught me so much through the good things and the bad. Divorce can be seen as a bad thing, but in my opinion, it has taught me to fall in love with myself first. Marriage is a lot of work, it’s not rainbows and butterflies all the time. You have to work at it, but how can you work on a marriage if you are still working on yourself? So yes, I could take this part of my life and make it negative, or I can look at the positives it has taught me. Love is delicate and life is short, don’t settle for less than you deserve.  Their love has taught me to go for my dreams, fall in love with myself and then find someone who is ready to jump on that wild ride with me.

My mom has taught me something I never appreciated until more recently. Watching her be a single mom for almost 8 years taught me independence and work ethic. Slightly exposing my mom here, but I think she struggled when trying to date because she was not willing to be dependent on others. (sorry, mom!) Well, that action taught me to become independent and work hard toward all my goals. Now, I find myself being very independent and even stubborn because I know that I deserve the best. I think it is important to be independent, especially when you are young and looking for a relationship, you must be a little picky. She taught me not to depend on a man or others. You have to work hard for yourself.

Throughout the eight years of it being just my mom and I, she never used welfare or handouts. She worked two jobs and sold some of her favorite things just to provide for us. She never let me go without things I needed or even most of the things I wanted. (The wants were things like prom dresses and yearbooks) My mom motivates me everyday; she is my number one fan, she gives me all she can and she wants me to have a better life than she was able to have. She has proven that even when life deals you a tough hand, you have to work with what you got. She had to become an adult quicker than expected and since then she has never given up, even when the opportunity arose. She has given me the opportunity to attend a university and this motivates me to be successful. I know she wants me to do great things!

One of my biggest goals in life is to inspire others to be confident in themselves and do great things. This goal motivates me to be a role model, and this is probably one of the biggest things that keeps me going. I write this blog in hopes to reach at least one person who will feel empowered by my writing to accomplish great things. My blog is completely dedicated to accomplishing this goal of inspiring and motivating others. Too often we doubt ourselves, and sometimes hearing all will be okay from a stranger is really reassuring. Everyday I try to live up to this standard I have set for myself and often times people say I care too much, and maybe I do, but this is all in hopes to leave some sort of impact on the world. Even if it is small.

Lastly, my dreams motivate me. I have always set big goals for myself since I was a little girl and I am highly motivated to accomplish these things. I learned to use a sewing machine at about 6 years old, and I always said I would be a big time fashion designer; and that might not be the goal now but the fashion industry is still where I want to be and I’d love to own my own company or label in the future. I was always starting businesses as a kid; if i wasn’t making head scarves for cancer patients, I was selling handmade hair accessories out of my locker in high school. This has always kept me going, I know where I want to be and I will do anything to get there. Every small goal is a step toward my grand plan, and everyone around me knows nothing will stop me when I have my heart set on something. I have to pick my battles wisely because once I’m in, I’m fully invested and there is no stopping me.

There is so many things that motivate me, these things I said above are more personal things that have motivated me but I also have a lot of small experiences that have shaped me. These include travel, the people around me and being underestimated ( I like a little challenge in life).

My past experiences have shaped me into the person I am today; driven, stubborn and kind. It has also shaped my future dreams and goals. I have learned everything from my mistakes and successes, everything is a lesson. People say leave the past behind, and to an extent I believe that, but your past experiences teach you so much. Together, my past and my future goals, inspire me to be the best version of myself and they motivate me to wake up everyday with a positive attitude. Use the past to motivate you toward your future goals. That is why I think it is important for people to have big dreams, they motivate you to work hard and step out of your comfort zone. Do not fear failure, jump into it. You learn from mistakes and you become a better person. Your greatest failure is failure to try.

Since the girls and I were unable to meet this past month, they will be posting a similar post on their blogs today, which you can check out in the links below. They will share what motivates them and what inspires their daily activities. I hope you will check out their posts and share with your friends. I challenge you to grab a group of your friends and find out what motivates them. You will learn so much about each other and you can have fun doing it!

Paige | Where the Wildflowers Are

Ally | A Touch of Tulle

Tessa | Simply Tess

 

 

 

Thank you all for reading this Cafe Chat, even though it was a little later than expected. I really enjoyed writing this one and sharing a little about me. I would love to hear what motivates you, so feel free to comment below or share on social media. Motivation is so important to me and my blog, hence the word Motivated in the title. It was something I value and love sharing with others. Thank you again for checking out my post, and don’t forget to visit the other girl’s sites to see what motivates them.

Happy Thursday!

xo, Lyss