Category: Uncategorized

I grew up going to a Methodist Church and learning about God and Jesus. Being told to love others with open hearts, open arms, and open doors. To this day I love that saying. What’s ironic is the more I turned to love, the less I turned to the church.

Growing up I was always observant and paid close attention to how people acted and interacted with others. It fascinated me and still does to this day. But watching people who say one thing and then do something different or said one thing but twist the words when explaining it confused me. Or, I would have two people I respected and trust tell me two different things.

Oh my! There was so much confusion! What was I supposed to believe? I just wanted someone to be right and to tell me what to do!

Though being depressed sucks and I never want to go there again, it did help me. See, when you’re depressed, you turn inward and that’s exactly what I needed to do. Only the small voice within could answer my questions. Only the small voice within could guide me. I learned to listen to myself.

What I realized is the laws within religion are black and white. Do this. Don’t do that. Act this way. Don’t act that way. And so forth. But a relationship with the Divine (God, Goddess, the Universe, Allah, etc) is black, white, grey, and multicolored. It is sitting in a dark room quiet and motionless, as well as dancing around a fire singing loudly, and everything in between.

What I also noticed recently is that the core of all religions are the same. So I have decided to dive deeper into them all. I am going to use my blog as a place to write out what I find and share my opinions. I hope to interview religious leaders and the everyday person. I also want to travel the world and learn first hand how people in other countries worship.

My main goal though is to connect with other people through love. One the of the best ways to love, is to listen. Listening allows us to learn and what we learn is no longer the unknown. The unknown can cause fear and by knowing we then remove the fear.

Fear of the unknown is necessary because it keeps us safe from danger. However, unnecessary fear causes us harm. Fear between cultures can create hate and keep us from creating relationships that could add more love and joy to our lives. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop Demond Tutu talk about unnecessary in The Book of Joy and how it keeps us from living a joyful life.

So here I am, on a journey to listen, to learn, to experience, to connect, and most importantly, to love.

The last blog I wrote, I was contacted by a lawyer telling me to take it down. That it was inappropriate. Really? Telling my story is inappropriate? I stood my ground and said no. No names were mentioned, they had no legal ground and I would not let anyone silence my voice! But I did… I haven’t written since then. Maybe it was knowing that my ex is reading everything that I was writing… (Come on, kinda creepy and a bit stalkery. Right, internet and out for the world to see.)

Or it could be because I’ve always worked so hard to not have confrontation. My whole life was about trying to be the perfect person so everyone would like me but in the end I never felt liked. Even when I was married I worked so hard to please my husband but nothing I did was ever good enough. I felt like I was set up to lose no matter what. Until… I stopped caring.

Why do we do that? Especially women. Try to please everyone? The answer is simple, we were raised that way. Our mothers were raised that way and they’re mothers before. Times are definitely different but breaking that cycle takes time. It is a lot of work to go against what you were taught.

By trying to please everyone, I became lost. The anxiety and depression I suffered with in my teens just got worse. I didn’t want to do anything. I did my best to be who I thought I was supposed to be but deep down life became dark.

Here’s the thing about emotions. You can put them in a box and decide you’re not going to feel them but they’re still there. And the more you shove into that box, the more crammed it becomes. At some point it is going to burst. Usually the burst is at the worst possible time and over the littlest thing.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back.” That saying is so fucking true.

Most of us have been there or are going through it right now. Do you feel lost in your emotions? Overwhelmed by feelings? Most try to find that quick fix. The magic pill that will take all the pain away. Going from doctor to doctor.

Let me tell you something, anyone who says they can help you quickly is full of shit! There is no quick fix. I went looking for a quick fix that ended up causing me more problems.

I can say now that I feel so good about who I am and the journey I’m still on. Does my anxiety show from time to time? Yes! Do I have days where I just feel sad? Yes! But here’s what has changed, those moments are shorter in length and longer between them. I now know they will come and go. When they come, I learn from them. For the most part, I’ve learned to embrace joy and find it in the little things.

So, how do you go from depressed/anxious to feeling fucking phenomenally joyful?

1. Feel your feelings!

2. Change your mindset

3. Find the right diet for you

4. Exercise

5. Try new activities and meet new people

These don’t have to be done in a specific order. They need to be done little bits at a time. But start with finding a therapist that you can talk openly with. It is so important to feel it and then let it go. I’ll share some of my experiences on all of these in coming blogs.

Now remember, I’m not a therapist. I have done some research for my own benefit. Everything I share is what has worked for me through trial, error, and so much failure but most of all, learning and trying again.

This is MeBeingMe. I’d love to learn about you!

I’ve been thinking a lot about loyalty since the end of my marriage. I realized that I am loyal to a fault and I know I’m not the only one. Some of the reasons we’re loyal is because change can be scary or we don’t think we can do better.

Growing up I remember hearing how being loyal is a good thing. Be loyal to your friends and they will treat you right. Be loyal to your spouse and your marriage will last. Be loyal to the company you work for and they will take care of you and you’ll prosper.

Well that’s a load of shit. I say that because I have been loyal to “friends” who have treated me horrible. I was loyal to my husband who was abusive. I’ve been loyal to companies I’ve worked for with no reward. This falsity keeps people in relationships and jobs that are unhealthy and sometimes dangerous.

Changing my character is not going to happen. I’m a loyal person and loyalty is a good quality to have but I’ve learned that my loyalty has been misplaced. So I’ve had to adjust where my loyalty lays.

Now I am loyal to myself first. Meaning I am loyal to my values, my ethics, my self worth, my mental health, my physical health, and my overall wellness. That does not mean that I won’t be loyal to others. It mean that I use my loyalty to me as a guideline to decide who gets my loyalty.

I choose who I’m loyal to by seeing if it aligns with my own loyalty. If being loyal to someone else causes me to not be loyal to me, then they do not deserve my loyalty. My loyalty and your loyalty is a precious gift that should be earned and not given willynilly. Treasure this gift you have to give. Keep it safe until the right person/job comes along.

Since this is a gift that you can give, you can also take it away. If a person’s actions continually cause you to choose being loyal to them or yourself, you must chose your own loyalty. Set your boundaries and walk away if they don’t respect it. You’re worthy and deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.

I have not always been good at setting boundaries. For a people pleaser it can be very hard to put your needs ahead of others but it must be done. I’ve come to learn that no one has your best interest in mind more than you. Not that everyone is deceitful but they’re human. This does not mean also that you have to be completely selfish. I love to give and I give when it is right with my soul. Now, let’s get back on track.

Recently I’ve had to say goodbye to a man I love. A man who has treated me better than any man ever has. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I posted a lot about grateful I was for him and it all was true. The love was real. The friendship was there. Never did I feel judged only loved. That being said, when one person is continually working to grow and evolve but the other person is not…

Without getting into his personal business, I knew I had to say goodbye or we would end up hating each other. After being in a toxic marriage, I saw the signs coming. There is only so much compassion and support that can be given before it turns to codependency. At some point people have to help themselves. Change can only occur when THEY decide to make the change. If they’re not going to do their part, no one else can help them, no matter how much you love them.

Part of me was hoping that breaking it off would kick him into gear to get his life together. I still had hope that we could end up together so I tried to be a friend. But boundaries were being crossed and we fought more in a week in a half than we did the year and half we were together. Soon I had to cut him off completely.

Last week I was so down and not with it. I was lagging at work and not focussed. I was also trying so hard to find a house to buy so I could just make a huge change. A big change will fix everything, right?! When I get that house I’ll put my focus on that, right?! Well, things will not fix us or make us truly happy. It wasn’t until I called a friend and admitted that I was angry did everything within me start to align again. I had the first full night sleep where I woke up feeling refreshed. Friday was the first day all week I felt truly productive. And this weekend I have been able to comfort and joy.

If someone is not respecting your boundaries, they are not respecting you. A person who complete respects you will recognize your boundaries and never ask you to adjust them to fit their needs. So set those boundaries and the more you set them and KEEP them, the easier it is to keep setting them. Now, you may have people walk out of your life but soon, you will have amazing people walk into your life.

Love yourself first. Because when you can do that, you can love others in a way that uplifts you both.

It’s taken me awhile to write this. I’ve started multiple times but have since deleted each one. We’ll see if this too will be deleted but if you’re reading it then I have finally put into words what is in my heart. Losing a loved one is hard. I knew she was sick, but it wasn’t obvious and she didn’t make a bid deal about it. She even drove me back to our cabins after my cousin’s wedding in September.

What a woman Aunt Denise was. I have always wondered how she did everything she did. It was quite amazing how she worked full time, made quilts, sewed us dresses when we were little, gardened, and cooked pasta and bread from scratch. It wasn’t until her funeral that it hit me.

Aunt Denise did everything with a joyful, grateful heart. She embraced life and lived it to its fullest. I didn’t see her a lot because she lived states away, but I swear she was rarely angry. Or if she was, it was never with rage.

When I got home from her funeral and was moving blankets off of my girls’ bed to wash the sheets, I came across the quilts that she made for my girls. I see those quilts differently now. Or more so, I feel different when I hold them. I feel her joy as she cut each piece and sewed them together to create something that is now loved by my daughters. I feel her years of practice, years of just doing it and slowly getting better. These quilts are perfection, a perfection built through a journey of mistakes and not quitting.

How often do we see a finished product and just say, “I can’t do that”? Or try something once and it doesn’t match the photo so we give up? How often have I done that? Too many times to count. But I look at these quilts now and I don’t just see the finished product anymore. I see the journey it took for my aunt to produce this amazing piece.

I’ve had a perfectionist attitude and if it couldn’t be perfect “then why bother”. It has kept me from doing the things I love. Kept me from being the person I know deep down I can be. It has kept me from enjoying life.

Aunt Denise did not make quilts to make something perfect. She made quilts because it brought her joy to make them and then give them as gifts. I saw the joy on my mom’s face when she received one. I felt joy when I received each of my girls’ quilts. When Izzy’s started to come apart, she told me they were made to be used.

Each person in our life, whether the experience had been positive or negative, has taught us something. Aunt Denise has taught me to do everything with a joyful grateful heart. Rest in peace knowing you have brought so much joy to the people around you.

She was talking about losing her children. Two of the three held in her arms but all three buried before they reached their first birthday. The tightness in my chest increased. I tried to hold the tears back but a few slipped away here and there. By the time I got home, I couldn’t listen to the podcast episode anymore. All I could see was the child I didn’t get the chance to hold. The child I wanted so badly but left way too soon. I will never truly know but to me that was my little boy.

The last week I’d been feeling off and this did me in. I got home, made sure Izzy was ok and then cried. I cried and cried and cried and until all of the negative energy that I had been working through for weeks was gone. I felt renewed and rejuvenated.

The loss of an unborn child is so hard and never truly leaves you. Most days I can think about it with a slight sadness but nothing more. Some days, it hits me like a ton of bricks and I mourn all over again. A piece of me is gone and will always be gone so this is who I am now. That time in my life was so hard but it also showed me how strong I truly am.

See, I had gotten off of medication to get pregnant. My Dr wasn’t sure that was the best thing but I wanted another child. I was able to process the loss of my child, mourn and know that the time would come when I would try again. Is was during this mourning process that my Dr told me that I didn’t need to see her anymore but her door was always open. That day I knew I was strong and would continue on a journey of self discovery and strength.

Since then I have gone through other hard things but because I now know that I will come out stronger. I am more than a survivor, I will thrive. Though tough days will come and I may sob until there are no tears to be shed, I know joy is right around the corner.

A few months later I found out I was pregnant again and my little crazy-pants Liesl was born. She tests every patients I have but looks at me with such love. I will always wonder what my little guy would have been like but living in the “what if’s” keeps us from living in the now. When the past creeps in and sorrow comes, I sit with those feelings and cry them out one tear at a time so I can focus on today and the joy it can bring.

I did end up listening to the rest of the episode. If you’d like to hear her story check out The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey episode #189.

What are your excuses for not doing the things you really want to do? Time, money… As I heard Rachel Hollis say, “I call BS.” (She’s awesome by the way. Look her up and check out her book Girl Wash Your Face.)

I for one do not want to live in a world with “I can’t” leading the way. What type of life would that be? Wait, I know because I lived it for years but NOT ANYMORE! When you remove “I can’t” from your vocabulary and insert “I will find a way”, you start to live in a world of endless possibilities!

Here’s the truth, if you say you can’t do something, guess what… YOU CAN’T. It becomes your truth. But the opposite is also true, if you say you can do something and truly believe you can… YOU CAN. I’m sick of letting the “I can’t’s” dictate my world.

One of my many amazing cousins is getting married in Alabama in September. I want to go but my initial thought was “I can’t afford it.” I’m sick and tired of saying those effing words!!! I’m sick of letting what I think I can’t do keep me from doing the things I really want to do.

I’m working a side business that has an unlimited earning potential. UNLIMITED!!! I just have to KATN it (Kick Ass and Take Names). It is all up to me if I will have the money to go by September. And you know what, I will have the money to go. I’m going to make it happen and better yet I will be helping other families get about the wellness line. So come September, I’ll be posting a photo of me on a farm in Alabama at their wedding. I’m excited!

So what excuses are you making? What is the excuse and how are you going to change your thoughts? The first step is just that, recognize the limitations you’re putting on yourself and then work to reprogram your subconscious. Every time the limitations creep into your thoughts, gently push them away and speak truth. Write those truths on a piece of paper and tape it somewhere you will see regularly to remind yourself what you are capable of. Because, as I’ve said before, you are capable of so many amazing wonderful things. #nikkynicolemebeingme

If you’re curious on how you can help others become healthier and have unlimited earning potential, contact me. I want to help you make your dreams come true! Since I talked about income, I have to share the income disclosure from Young Living.

Respect. We all want it. How do we get it?

We can’t force it. Forcing anything upon other people pushes them away. No one wants to be MADE to do anything. Makes me think of raising my children. When I try to force my kids to do things, they push back. Especially my strong willed Liesl. She will fight me tooth and nail. Don’t get me wrong, there are times I will throw her over my shoulder. I mean what would my boss say if I told him “I was late today because Liesl said she was sick, but she really wasn’t sick, and I was trying to convince her she had to go to school.” The steel business must still keep running.

So it goes without saying, when I force my kids to do something it usually is met with a push back. However, if I discuss it with them, tell them the rewards and consequences, I’m sometimes met will a more willing child.

So you can’t force someone to respect you. When powerful people demand respect, they may be treated with respect on a superficial level but not with true respect.

How to get respect? One, know that not everyone will give you respect. That’s a fact of life and some people are rude and mean. But it all starts with you. How do you see yourself?

Joyce Meyer in her book Beauty for Ashes says it perfectly. “After saying, ‘You shall love the Lord your God,’ Jesus added, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’ (Mark 12:30-31). If you cannot get along with or love yourself, you will find it too difficult to get along with or love anyone else.”

So, love yourself, respect yourself, and learn to truly believe in who you are. Then if someone doesn’t show you respect, guess what???

YOU WON’T CARE!

I know, it’s easier said then done but it can be done. With time and hard work, you too will realize your worth and find true happiness.

I asked a friend for help in growing my business and man did she help me realize some things that are holding me back. The subconscious is a crazy animal and I have some (a lot) of work to do to train it. Yes, your subconscious thoughts can be modified. I’ve been modifying mine for over a year now but there seems to be other avenues that I need to go down, remove the trash and fill in the potholes.

I’ve spent years being told subtle lies under the disguise of a joke. If you tell a child the sky is purple, in time the sky will be purple. Just like if you hear a “joke” many times, that “joke” becomes your reality especially when compliments are few and far between. There are also subtle lies told by those who want to protect you. Want to keep you from getting hurt or failing.

I’m going to tell you now, it is ok to fail. The key is to learn from your failure. This is how we grow. I ok with my children having struggles in school because school is a safe place to overcome hardships and become comfortable with making mistakes and learning from them.

Most importantly, I need to remind myself over and over again that I am capable. Capable to reach my goals! Capable to reach for the stars and succeed! I am capable of building the life I want!!!

I know what I want. I want to help people take control of their emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing. I want to show my daughters that they can build the life they want and not the life society says they have to have. I am not going to settle for average!

So, I’m going to take control of the lies and throw them in the trash where they belong. Starting with self reflection and retraining my subconscious. Some reflections will be harder than others but getting through them is so worth it. I’ve been on my journey for awhile now but I’m no where close to being done and that is ok. Because if there was nothing new to learn, life would be pretty damn boring.

At the beginning I brought up my business so let me end by telling you a little bit about it. There are toxic chemicals all around us and in so many of the products we use for ourselves and our children! These toxins can cause emotional and physical problems. A year ago I started using therapeutic grade essential oils from Young Living and it has changed my life! Not only the oils but the community of amazing people I have been introduced to. And since I’m one of those people who shares when I love something, that’s what I’ve been called to do. If you’re curious about essential oils or have dabbled a bit but want to learn more, I have a huge event going on in April on Facebook. Click on the event April Showers Oily Powers and choose going. Make sure to set your notifications so you don’t miss a thing!

Now this is #mebeingme. Go out into the world and #youbeyou!