Tag Archives: motivational

Own Your Story 

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I didn’t do a motivational Monday post last week because I couldn’t find anything fitting. Lately I’ve been feeling anxious. Feeling overwhelmed knowing that the end is FINALLY in sight. How if it’s not all I have dreamed it would be? How if it’s not really the end of my road with leukemia? I had spent the previous Wednesday, in a private infusion room because I needed to be alone. Because I couldn’t stop randomly crying. I hadn’t been able to sleep the night before thinking about all those what ifs. Those thoughts then lingered in my head throughout the morning and shoved me into a downward spiral to negative thoughts and depressing feelings.

 It took me three full days to get out of the slump. I took a lot of licks from Phoebe and hugs from Mike. Words of encouragement from my family. And advice/love from my incredible team of nurses. I needed everyone’s support. This time, I couldn’t do it by myself. 

So last Sunday night when I went to find a motivational Monday post, I just couldn’t do it. I felt like too much of a fraud to try to be motivating when I had been unable to motivate myself in the days prior. So today’s post is about being true to yourself, being true to your story. We all have our moments of strength which are great to embrace but we also all have moments of weakness, whatever that may be. And that’s okay. We can’t always be strong. We can’t always have a smile on our face. We’re allowed to have a bad day. Or two, or three. Or however many it takes to get your mind right. 

So while I certainly don’t wish bad days upon any of you, I also understand the realities of life and that it’s bound to happen. So my hope is that you can embrace those days or moments and allow yourself to try to really feel your feelings. Allow yourself moments of weakness and love yourself anyways.

This was my story last week and I know I will continue to struggle with this far past March 26th but I’m going to try to learn to embrace it a little more and love myself through the moments of weakness.
Lots of love & light,

Jessy 

P.S. Belated Merry Christmas to all my readers. I had a wonderful few days with Mike’s family, my family and then a day at home in our pjs with our little family! I hope your day was wonderful! I’m going to post pics later this week! 🙂

Motivational Monday

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This quote makes me smile. It’s simple and kind of silly but SO true. At the heart of it, it means do what makes you happy. Lord knows I listened to it this weekend… I ate plenty of desserts and drank all the O’Doules my little heart desired. As we go into the new week, let’s try to remember to live in the moment because we never know what tomorrow will bring.

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

Lots of love & light,

Jessy 

One Day at a Time

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I was walking to Starbucks this afternoon in this blistering cold weather that has fast come upon on us. Bundled up but enjoying a few minutes outside with the sun shining on my face. All of a sudden, I felt overwhelmingly nauseous. As I’ve learned quite well, it helps to just slow down my breathing and take a moment to calm down. Many times, that can subside the feeling and I can move on. Today however, while I was going through this somewhat common routine, I got a shot of annoyance run through my body. I’m sick of being sick, I thought. I’ve come so far from where I’ve been so when I really think about it, I am so blessed. But sometimes in the heat of the moment, I just want to feel fully healthy. My treatment dosage has been getting continuously upped the past few months as we work to get my counts to the lowest possible that I can handle. The point being is that the more chemo my body can handle, the more they want to give to increase my chances. TOTALLY get it. But TOTALLY sucks at the same time. Everytime I’m feeling relatively good, it means that my “counts” are normalizing which means we can increase the amount given which essentially knocks me down. Last week, they said they think we’re finally at a low enough level that they’re happy with. But I’ve definitely felt the difference. I’m more lethargic and achey than I have been in the recent months and the waves of nausea hit me whenever they please. And I’m just over feeling achey, or tired or nauseous or having a headache. I’m so anxious to feel “normal” again.

I don’t know what I wanted out of this blog post other than to get my frustrations out. It’s been 20+ months of treatment and not feeling well and I’d be lying to say I wasn’t more than ready to feel like a healthy individual again. Lucky for me, I know that day will come. Hopefully in 4 months and 1 day. (Yes, I have a countdown app. #SueMe)


As always, thanks for listening. Thanks for caring. Thanks for being there for me as I continue to walk down this road to regaining my strength and health. It means the world to have you all beside me.
Lots of love & light,

Jessy

Not Just Another Day

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Back to Motivational Monday. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit off the track lately but I’m back on.

I loved this quote. With all the new beginnings in my life right now, it really spoke to me. But what I also realize is that you don’t need big changes in your life to embrace this mantra. Every day we wake up and take a deep beautiful breath, we have been given the opportunity to do something spectacular. We’ve been given another chance to make ourselves happy. We’ve been given another opportunity to make someone else happy. We’ve been given another opportunity to make the world a better place.

Every day is another opportunity to take control of your life and embrace a new beginning, even if all that’s new is a new week. Embrace it, make it great.

not another day

Lots of love & light,

Jessy

 

 

The Cutest Daily Affirmation

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Sometimes Tuesday mornings are rougher than Monday’s so I decided to do a pump-you-up Tuesday video! This clip came out a while ago but I thought, if you haven’t seen it, it’s a must and if you have, it’s worth rewatching! It really is the tri-fecta: makes you laugh, makes you smile and makes you think… if we could all be more like little Jessica.

I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of love & light,

Jessy

It’s the Little Things

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http://youtu.be/mJ6Me4zVkwU​

I think we’re all guilty of taking little things in life for granted. And having our senses is one of them. The gift of sound is so magical and so important in this life. It gives you a means to communicate, to be connected with what’s around you but may not be able to see. It gives you music which (in my mind) can give you so much- songs can help put you in a better mood, get a good cry out, dance around and be silly, or give you strength when you’re feeling down. 

I’ve watched multiple people in my family deal with hearing losses and it’s so unfair and difficult. I hope that as technology continues to pave the way for the future that this type of device can be made available for all individuals who struggle with hearing abnormalities. 

I hope this video puts a smile on your face and reminds you to be grateful for the little things. Be grateful for all you’ve been given. 

Happy Saturday everyone and an even bigger happy 21st birthday to my baby brother JJ. It kills me that I can’t throw em back with you tonight but I know that day will come! So tonight I’ll be the big sister supervisor instead. I’m so proud of the little man you’ve become– now go out and have some fun, LEGALLY! I love you! 

Lots of love & light, 

Jessy 

The Truth About Monday’s

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This is how I actually feel about today being Monday. 

#Done

 
Here’s how I want to feel on a Monday…

   
 
I don’t know if I’ll ever be that excited about a weekend ending and a new work week beginning but a girl can dream, can’t she?! 

We all have something to learn from Tom Terrific. Not only is it great to always be fashionable but it’s equally great to always be passionate. It’s great to always be driven, and to work really, really hard. It’s great to have a dream and keep on chugging until you reach that goal. And of course, it’s great to be the GREATEST OF ALL-TIME. So whatever it is you do, be the #GOAT.

  

Here’s to hoping we all have a week full of passion and excitement. Go get ‘Em Tigers!!!

Lots of love & light,

Jessy

Tip for a Tuesday

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Stupid

I’m stealing this line from the founder of the Not Impossible Labs (the speaker I wrote about a few days ago that was at the conference I attended last week). He said this line so passionately and at first I hated it. Why would I surround myself with people that make me feel stupid? That’s horrible advice, I thought. But then I quickly realized that surrounding yourself with people that make you feel stupid doesn’t mean surrounding yourself with people that make you feel inadequate or that belittle you– but rather the opposite. It means to surround yourself with people that know more than you, that you can gain insight from, perspective from, people that you can GROW from. Once you realize you may be the “stupid-est” person in the room, don’t be ashamed, be grateful– take it as a blessing– there is SO MUCH to LEARN!!! In the past year and a half, I’ve been surrounded by some of the most brilliant men and women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and although sometimes it can be intimidating, more often than not, it’s empowering… it makes me want to open my eyes to what else is out there and the ways my mind can continue to expand.

Life is all about growing and by taking the time to surround yourself with those that you can grow from– you’re hedging your bet right.

Lots of love & light,

Jessy

I’m taking this line from the founder of Not Impossible labs

Fall Fiesta

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When it’s cold outside, and we’ve been cooped up inside for days, remind me of days like this…

When I woke up and headed to a corn maze with three of my favorite people in the world.  And sipped on delicious hot apple cider.  

And then picked pumpkins that we’ll carve into jack-o-lanterns and continued to use my selfie stick to capture the moments (best purchase ever, no shame here). 

    
 And then came home and thought, what better day to go for a run!? So I strapped on my yoga pants and sneakers and headed down to the good old Mystic River in Somerville. I decided to take a new route and found a great, long path right along the water. I feel so happy when I’m near the water, doesn’t matter what kind, even if I have the highway to my left, as long as I have the river to my right, I feel a little more at peace than typical. And then as I continued to run I came along a three story lookout tower that I marched right up, did some sun salutations, looked out onto the Boston skyline that I love so much, felt the sunshine on my face and felt so grateful for the moment that was upon me. Healthy enough to be running again, strong enough to climb flights of stairs and in a good enough place mentally to be able to feel the sunshine on my face, totally alone and realize how lucky I truly am. And okay enough with myself to laugh at how crazy my hair has become. 

   
   
Then I picked up some fall essentials to decorate our front steps, because honestly a decorated house is a happy house. And a happy house is a happy me. 

   
 
Now I’m sitting in my Brady jersey & sweat pants, with pulled pork on the oven (thanks to the best boyfriend in America), and a good old O’Doules in hand with my snuggley guy. 

  
Fall is a special time of the year in New England. 

Life is good today. 

Remind me of this day in January. 

Lots of love & light,

Jessy