Tag: Mind

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Inspiration: Feeding Your Mind Junk?

Feeding the Mind and Thoughts

Are You Feeding Your Mind Junk?

We have all heard that phrase, “You are what you eat.” True of our brains. We input junk; we output junk.

Should one consume four donut holes every morning with their morning joe (coffee), overtime eating four donuts every day will develop into extra pounds on the hips or rolls around the waistline (without a balanced diet and exercise).

The same can be said feeding our brains garbage. If one spends time strolling social media feeds, intaking unbeneficial content, eventually junk will show on the outside. Through our accomplishments (unproductive), actions (habits), words (communication), and way of thinking (self-thoughts or view our circumstances).

If calories are to spent on strolling social media feeds or binge-watching TV, slip a few encouraging or challenging options into your daily mix that simulates your creativity or inspires you to be less than a couch potato. Inevitably a stack of potatoes turns to mush but mindfully feeding and challenging the brain keeps our minds healthy and sharp.

Self-help Book

What to Feed the Brain

To feed the brain, to grow and rid self of bad habits, try watching self-help tutorial videos like TED Talks and Sisters Like Us Win to transform your thought process to win or, get a copy of my book Cracks in the Pavement 2: Butterfly Effects to start the journey of healing. I have personally learned many techniques on how to be mindful of my thoughts and how it affects our overall well being.

By watching these types videos I have little to no negative thoughts throughout the day and I do not give much attention to my daily body aches and pains. I set a goal to achieve for the day and push through taking breaks when needed.

But in those moments when I do begin to doubt, I am mindful it is occurring and quickly change the negative narrative to positive one by thinking of how far I have come, my trust in God, and faith in my capabilities to achieve more.

Sisters, I hope this dose of inspiration nourishes you and remember, Whichever flower you choose to be BLOOM!
-Dawn

©Dawn Dean-Sisters Like Us
Dose of Inspiration: I will not feed my brain junk but nourishments that birth life!

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PoeTea Tuesday!

POEM: DAWN

When day awakes,
dawn would have brought renewal

And when she awakens,
Dawn will be new

This is my night affirmation when I end a stressful day.

The morning is new and so should be you. It is a day of moving forward, another day of opportunity and endless possibilities.

Aspire to Inspire!

Whichever flower you choose to be BLOOM!

Dawn the Poet

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How do I Measure Success?

How do you measure success?

Does success equal a fancy car, a compound that can house twelve families, only three people occupy the space? Or is success any size home filled with the things we love most like: family and friends, laughter, with moments adorning the walls, and the aroma of tranquility filling the rooms?

Success for me is a place of being true to self with a heart of gratitude. That way, wherever I may go, I am unapologetically happy with who I am and what I do.

I have always been one to go after what I wanted. I wanted it so badly I neglected my physical and mental health thriving to achieve material things. Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with working hard or having material things unless those things like my case compromise your overall well-being.

Success is done with balance. Balancing the mind, body, spirit, financials, and relationships

Do not allow achieving things to define who you are or let those objects become your face (identity) because you have lost yourself. Society teaches us from childhood that more equals success and that it should be achieved in a particular order.

I watched Little Fires Everywhere over the weekend, and boy did Elena (Reese Witherspoon) need a match lit under her.

Reese, Elena, compromised her true love, true happiness for the life she thought was her life dream because society tells us by a certain age we should have; graduate college, gotten married, bought a house, had children, and to retire old.

Reese’s character loved her picture-perfect life if it looked good on the surface, catching an attitude with any and everyone around her if her family didn’t look like perfection to others.

Sometimes the view in the mirror is not so perfect.

Old Unhealthy Selfie

Bitter about having birthed a fourth child, Elena shames others about their life choices, pointing the finger, revealing their mistakes and flaws when fact she should be examining her own life and actions. But the view in the mirror is not so perfect as she would find out.

By the end of the series, Reese has found her match Mia, played by Kerry Washington, and is awaken unusually by those who love her most.

I found this series binge-worthy, coming away with so many eye-opening moments about how differently we as humans measure success, living with our decisions, racism, mental health, and sexuality.

We all are in the pursuit of happiness and simply want to live a happy life uniquely as ourselves.

How do you measure success?

Many of us have gotten caught up in this rat race, sadly missing out on true happiness living the life society has measured as success.

We become slaves to the rhythm (system), to someone else’s definition of success measuring up to the likes of our parents, teachers, peers, etc.

Have you lost your identity just to fit in, to be accepted, to feel like you have succeeded?

Can you look in the mirror and like what is looking back at you?

Remember, whichever flower you choose to be BLOOM.

Please leave your thoughts and comments on this article and check out Instagram @sisterslikeuswin

Aspire to Inspire!
Dawn

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What? How? Why?

Welcome to Sisters Like Us…Where We Win!

Hello! I’m Dawn Dean, the personality and author behind SistersLikeUs.com (SLUWiN), and the author of Cracks in the Pavement: Struggles of Butterflies. Follow along to see what, how and why I created this spot to express my creative side while encouraging others to win.

Q: What is SistersLikeUs.com?
A: SistersLikeUs.com is a platform created to inspire women, and men to win.

Q: How?
A: It inspires women and men to win by encouraging and demonstrating how a positive mind, a healthy body, and the conscious awareness of the spirit-soul(being), presence within each of us connects to help us thrive. The soul for me is our surroundings i.e. our home, the company we keep, and nature.

Q: Why did I create SistersLikeUs.com?
A: I created SistersLikeUs.com out of chaos, a need to vent, then realizing I wasn’t alone and others could benefit from my stories of life’s ups and downs.

The Story behind the Why.

In the late 90’s I was living a happy life before my body would show me just how important one’s health truly is.

A single mother of three, thriving as a manager at a large well-known department store without a degree under my belt (only college credits).
I was a hard worker striving to become a buyer for the May company. But physical pain setup camp never to dismantle.

I was diagnosed with lupus and fibromyalgia. I dreaded a career change, but the agonizing pain left no options.

I would soon find myself setting behind a desk but I loved working retail and meeting new people every day. For a period I worked full-time as a Staffing Manager at a temporary agency and for a short time as an Executive Assistance at a public relation firm (PR) before landing a job at a pharmaceutical association.

After two-and-a-half years working in the membership and marketing department, my health seriously declines. Losing the job meant losing health insurance and the means to provide for my growing children. I gave up.

Being what I call a functional depressive for as long as I could remember, I would succumb to the dark side of depression. Unable to bear the loss of my health; job, family members, and friends. I could no longer function even a little bit without putting on the pretend mask; a smiling mask to hide all my pain.

It would take me seven years before I would seek professional help.
Fortunately I found a great therapist who saw me-Dawn; the loving mother, the creative writer and poet, and the compassionate and helpful woman buried beneath life’s debris.

She helped me reignite the flickering flame burning deep within wanting to resurface. She helped me to visualize a life beyond my adversities (Thank you, Denise!).

After many years visiting her-therapist and her eventually retiring. I took what she had relayed, unveiled and the things she saw in me to push past my setbacks.

I came to understand and accept that my emotional and physical pain was God’s way of forcing me to live in my true purpose–to tell my stories.
Though I had had my own life goals mapped out (but also loved writing). He had bigger plans for me.

And so my pain would form the blossoming of SistersLikeUs.com Where We Win! Designed to help others overcome life’s adversities in order to WIN.

Everyone has a story. How are you using yours? I’m telling mine’s to inspire others.

I hope each post will uplift and encourage your growth in some way

Thank you for subscribing to SistersLikeUs.com and following our growth to win.

Aspire to Inspire!
Xoxo,
Dawn Dean

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ABC’s of Spring Cleansing: Jump Start to a Zealous Lifestyle

When people think of spring cleaning, more-often-than-not, they prep to clean out the closet space and trash those expired foods in the kitchen cabinets. Tossing out old and scuffed shoes, pots and pans; giving away or donating ill-fitting jeans and favorite shirts they swore they’d lose weight to fit after the holidays. But it’s spring, sadly that shirt still doesn’t fit well. And some stay clear of shining or power washing the windows.

I can relate. However, spring cleaning your home is important but there’s much more to purging or throwing away worn clothes once a year to living well.

These steps in my, ABC’s of Spring Cleansing: Jump Start to a Zealous Lifestyle program helps with the common activities of spring cleaning, as well, as teaches those viable areas that can enrich every aspect of life.

I must stress, it’s a little more in-depth then dropping off a bag or two at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army stores for a tax write-off. These tips were designed to de-clutter the mind, body, and soul (space) from my own personal experiences.

I’ve learned it takes 21 to 90 consistent days to rid oneself of bad habits and to grow from learning and implementing new ones. Let’s just say, you can’t be on a diet for three weeks then off for two weeks and except that weight is going to stay off. It is a lifestyle change! It takes practice to become the norm, the same with cleaning out bad habits.

Over the next 21 days, I will be giving away free information on the A, the B, and the C tactics I use to reboot my mind, body, and soul; permitting me to stay focus on reaching my new year’s goals (new book Amazon.com Cracks in the Pavement: Struggle of Butterflies). Where most have already given up and tossed their goals out the window.

I’ll share a few reasons as to why some are unable to shed those pounds and why some can’t seem to get their life’s together and other’s can.

You can! You will!
21 Day Agenda:
 7 days re-setting the MIND: Thoughts have power
 7 days re-building the BODY: How important it is
 7 days re-energizing the SOUL(SPACE): What matters most

Don’t Give Up…

Why give up on your dreams. Life can be difficult to maneuver through, but we weren’t designed to give up. We were born to WIN!

Aspire to Inspire!

XOXO,
Dawn
Sisters Like Us WIN!