Forced positivity is still positivity people.

I went to lunch with a friend yesterday. We desperately needed to catch up and our conversation went quickly from surface "What have you been up...blah blah blah" to a much deeper "How are you? How are you REALLY?".

We spent a solid 2 hours sorting through the the deep and icky in our lives. Which was honestly, awesome. It was a lot of listening and a lot of talking and I'm so glad we did it. While pouring out a couple of his personal troubles he really stressed how important it is for him to not forget the positive in his life. With all the things going wrong for him he literally had an on hand list of the good things happening despite all the bad.

Talk about a humbling moment...

At that moment I realized I will never survive this life if I continue my negative nancy mindset. Yes, some really crappy things are going on right now, but as silly as this sounds I honestly feel like God's blessings are the main course, and crappy things are the appetizer. If you can just get through the nasty, the delicious and filling meal will ALWAYS follow.
Downfall always precedes the blessing; God won't ever leave you hungry.
Honestly, I am not in a happy mood about any of this. But I am going to force myself to be joyful about whats to come. I love joy. Mainly because having joy doesnt mean you have to have a constant smile on your face and poop rainbows. I'm allowed to be upset. I'm allowed to be angry. But if I choose joy, none of those emotions are allowed to ruin my day. Because through all of this, I choose to have hope for some incredible blessings to come.






xoxo nic.

Inspiration.

I have a secret obsession with skateboard decks. To the point where I Google them and look at them for like a solid hour. Weird? Yes. But what draws me to them most is the incredible amount of art that is packed onto one small deck. During my daily skateboard art fix I came across this board. It's INSANE. Clayton Brothers collaberated with Krooked skateboard decks back in 2008 to create this gorgeous piece of work. Despite the fact that I do not skateboard, I want it!

Promise me you will spend 4 solid minutes soaking it in. It's worth it.



This video is incredible.
I LOVE seeing what other people are passionate about, and Mickey Smith's passion swallows you up in awe of the amazing footage he is able to capture. He does what he does because he loves it, without a fear of how small his paycheck might be. Such an incredible example of a person not afraid to follow their dreams.

Hope these inspired you as much as they did me!
XOXO nic

Untitled.

This is the point in my life where I refuse to be frightened anymore.
It seems to me whatever intimidates you, happens to you.
Why that seems to be a reoccurring pattern in my life I am really not sure.
Maybe its God's way of filling the cracks in my character?
I have no answers for you or for me on this one.
But from now on I'll make it a point to go through life as courageously as I can.


x0x0

Excuse me,

But I'm tired. I'm bored to say the least. I lack desire...forgive me August, but we are through.
I'm ready for September.

This month has been exhausting. Mentally and physically. Too many goodbye's, too many changes, too many hours spent at work.
I find myself constantly in zombie mode and the only thought able to register in my brain is how much I just want to sleep. I'm ready for a new month, and I'm ready for the light at the end of the tunnel.
XOXO nic

Just keep moving.

All forward motion counts.
Big steps or small, any form of progression is a reason to be proud of yourself.
Anyone can be idle, it takes no energy.
The brave are those who find their life to be comfortable, but are still willing to move along beyond such comforts for the sake of progression.

You can't always rush things, leave time to wait.
Focus on your next step.
Know where you're going, just don't give it a time frame.
I think progression is belittled by time.
You'll get there when you are supposed to get there, not a second faster. And getting there is the point.

lovelovelove,
Nic.

Bloom

An excerpt from the book Bloom(thank you for buying it for me makky poo!). Read and be encouraged.

"Life is about becoming who you are and all that you were meant to be. It's about growing, dreaming and taking chances. It's about loving courageously and never holding back. Its about finding a brighter, better way-not today, but every day.

There will never be another you. You owe it to yourself and the world to make the most of all that is in you. Don't just go through life--grow through life. Keep blooming into your incredibly, gloriously, brilliant beautiful self.

The possibilities? Endless. "

Never be afraid to be who you are. Never be afraid to love bigger than the ocean.

Lovelovelove,
Nic.

"More Like Falling In Love"

For Mother's Day my family and I gathered around the TV to watch one of my mom's favorite movies. After watching the entire 3 hours I was utterly disappointed because the love story didn't live up to my expectations. After expressing how annoyed I was at the way it ended my mom said to me "You have to live out your own love story Nicole!". After almost 19 years of watching every sappy love movie you could imagine I can't really express to you how incredibly excited I am to find the guy I can live out my own love story with. But today a song came on the radio that floored me. It completely changed my perspective on my relationship with God. It made me realize that yes, finding Mr. Right will be amazing....but no love a man gives me is ever going to compare to the love God has for me.

Read the lyrics to this song, I hope it impacts you as much as it did me.

"Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet

It ought to be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be


It's like I'm falling in love, love, love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me"
-Jason Gray

I still can't wait to find the love of my life, but my relationship with my savior will forever be the greatest love story ever told.

Lovelovelove,
Nic