Ms. Guided in Life

The best advice I've ever taken was not from anyone I know personally.  It was actually a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show back in 2002 who was talking about savings and other financial tips.  For some reason, I paid extra close attention to that episode that day.  The gentleman was saying that the best thing you can do for yourself is to save the first hour's pay for each working day into your savings account, with the concept called, "Pay yourself first." The first hour of each day belongs to you.  If you make $15 dollars an hour, those $15 dollars each day go straight to your savings account after pay day.  

I got into an interesting conversation with a new friend of mine about what I truly believe happens after death. Although speaking of death might seem like a scary topic to discuss, it is the one for sure thing that we will all experience sooner or later. Only God truly knows when the day and time will come.  Before this post goes downward and very depressive, I wanted to share with you my thoughts about what I strongly believe truly happens in life.

As I sit here and reflect on the things that I'm thankful for this year, two major things come to mind: Health and family. 

When I was younger and naive, I used to pray a lot for the things I wanted and needed in my life.  A few years ago, I met a guy from an online dating site who I was certain he was the one for me. Over the years, I never truly understood why God didn't answer my prayers -- until now. It was very apparent to me that as this guy and I both grew up and live completely different lives; I noticed an overarching theme in his life where in the end, he has no inner peace in his life.  The drama in his life is still there as it was when I first met him many years ago but appear to be present in different ways.

One of the things I didn't plan for was all the times I would plateau during my weight loss journey. Other times, this would have discouraged me, but this time is different. I have learned to be patient and stick to my plan.  Work out and focus on the positive side of things.  I haven't lost weight, but I haven't gained anything either.  That's the plus side.

I never truly believed in ghosts until I had my very own experience with one when I was 19 years old.  My first job was at a department store at the Santa Anita Mall in the customer service department on the third floor, where my main job was to sell Ticketmaster concert and event tickets and gift wrap.  On closing nights, I would check-in and collect all of the money bags from the cashiers throughout the whole store.  I would make sure to take in the totals and lock up the money in the safe.

In honor of Anti-bullying awareness month, Burger King hit a grand slam with this ad. This has to be the best anti-bullying video ever! Major props to Burger King for putting this out there.   Mayra :) 

I t is truly a blessing to find couples that have been married for decades-long nowadays.  My parents got married on an overwhelmingly hot day on October 22, 1977.  And when I asked my parents if they would change anything that they had experienced in the last 40 years, they said, "no" in a heartbeat. I'm a single woman and I'm nowhere near an expert in relationships but what I do know for sure are the following things: My parents' marriage has served me as a guideline for expectations and standards for my own life in what I want in a future husband.  I think that is the main reason why I have a hard time finding someone better than my dad out there. My parents have done a great job in serving as an example of what to do and not do in a relationship and for that, I am thankful for. Holding hands since 1977.  My mom and dad get on each other's nerves but they truly love each other.  I guess that comes with age and is almost expected in a couple after...

I woke up on Friday, August 25, 2017, like any other day: made my bed, took a shower, and started doing my after-shower routine.  This time, something clicked in my head.  While I was styling my hair, I was about to start on my makeup when I heard my parents laughing in the kitchen. 

T his summer has been a huge turning point in my life.  I discovered that I have a health issue that I will have for the rest of my life and the doctor gave me two options: Go on medication or control it with diet and exercise.  A part of me wanted to take the easy way out and say, "Let's do the drugs" but another part of me knew that I needed to take control and lose the weight.

The past few weeks have been quite interesting.  There are certain stressful things that I don't have any control over.  But what I do have control over is myself --my actions, and thoughts.  If you've never met me before, I want you to know that I've always been a planner, and most definitely very pragmatic.  I love making lists and having a feeling of accomplishment from the things I do and finish on time or ahead of schedule. Learning some news about my health awoke something in me that I never had before. Just recently, I've was diagnosed with a health issue that would require me to change the way I look at my relationship with people in my life such as my family, friends and co-workers, my relationship with myself, and the way I view health and fitness. This really wasn't the wake-up call I was expecting but I have faith that this challenge came to me as a sign that things with me need to change. I'm hoping to come out of this, way stronger than what I...

Just recently, my doctor suggested that I try going on walks to help de-stress and build my serotonin levels.  So, I decided to follow her advice and I'm doing just that! I had almost forgotten how good it feels to get out and actually go for a nice, long walk. I've been going almost daily for the past three weeks and so far, this is what I have discovered:  1 .  I look forward to going for a walk, and even more because I take my dog, Snoopy out and we both get our daily exercise. ** Get to know Snoopy here . ** 2. There is always a nice breeze in the evenings and I enjoy how it feels on my skin.  3 . The pitter patter of my dog's paws is quite soothing to hear as they hit the concrete sidewalk with each step.  4 . I downloaded an app on my phone called Pacer and I enjoy a friendly competition with myself to break a record, of some kind. This is keeping me focused and motivated.  5 . The more I walk, the more I notice the...

I came across an article the other day from almost three years ago and it said that a person who does an act of kindness for another person receives many health and psychological benefits.   Not only does the receiver reap the benefits of the kind act from the giver but also the health and psychological benefits as well.  But something more incredible to share with you is that when a person is a witness to an act of kindness (a.k.a. a bystander) the observer also gets health and psychological benefits as well!  It's a win-win-win situation all around. These benefits include the following: 1. A boost of serotonin increases, which is the calming and "feel good" hormone which in return, helps tackle depression.  2. Research also finds that acts of kindness help alleviate stress, chronic pain, and insomnia.   3. It also helps a person feel happy, become more joyful and increases self-worth. Harvard University calls this phenomenon the "Mother Teres...

It's an item that majority of us use on a daily basis and for some reason, a lot of people tend to forget when they travel...   Please remember to bring your own pen. Especially when you travel abroad, your pen is an essential item when filling out customs paperwork and other forms.  Even if you travel domestically and your luggage doesn't have a tag, use your pen to fill one out. I, on the other hand, always have multiple pens in my purse all the time because I've been a student for over half of my life and because my memory isn't that great anymore.  I need to write things down for my own sanity. So, it really annoyed me on my last flight that people around me were asking to borrow my pen to fill out their passport information on their forms. "Don't people know that they need to fill out paperwork on board?"  The answer is "no."  I've also managed to create a list of other things I travel with that might also be helpful to you on yo...

I really wish someone had told me that life in your 30s is when it feels like you have reached the top and there's no other direction to go but down.  I say this because I noticed a few changes in my body that I was not expecting to see so soon.

I have an 11-year old white, male, toy poodle named Snoopy.  I first laid my eyes on him when he was a small puppy.  He was taking a stroll around his mobile home in a trailer park complex in my old hometown.  He was adorable from the get-go.  He was so cute and he reminded me so much of my first dog, named Osito.  I knew from the first moment I saw him that this adorable little puppy needed to be part of my family.

We all have a favorite movie that we never get tired of watching over and over again.  I, on the other hand, have a few favorite movies. I own them on DVD and I watch them when I know I can dedicate two hours of my time of uninterrupted time.  Check out what's on my list. 

Dear Love,

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do in the year 2017 and I've narrowed it down to a simple mantra: Upgrade.