The Answers Are in Your Gut

You know that feeling you get in your stomach when you’re in a situation that you know you shouldn’t be in or should be in? I’m not talking about stomach cramps or butterflies. I’m talking about that deep tugging you feel in your gut that causes you to pause and wonder if what you’re feeling on the inside is showing on the outside…..yea that feeling. There are numerous times in my life when I’ve experienced that feeling and ignored it - and of course, I ended up saying, “I should have gone with my gut!” Learning from those moments, I made a vow to never ignore my gut again, and let me tell you all - so far that vow has saved me from a lot of hardships.

Quick Story - a few months ago, I was in the process of trying to become a homeowner. After what seemed like 1,000 searches, I found a nice home that was in my price range….but something wouldn’t allow me to fall in love with it. Instead of listening to that feeling (my intuition), I got advice from several people regarding the home buying process. I asked them if it was normal for me to second guess a home that I was about to purchase. Some brushed my feelings off as jitters since I was about to make one of the biggest investments of my life. Others told me to get the house because it was reasonably priced and nice, and it would eventually grow on me. I went over everyone’s advice in my head, but I still didn’t have the peace I needed to feel totally good about the process. Something was nagging at me internally. I ignored the feeling and concentrated on the fact that I really wanted to become a homeowner so I went forward with the process. I signed a contract, got an inspection done, and was on my way to close the deal. I figured my excitement would grow as the closing date approached - it never did. Actually, the internal nagging grew louder - so loud that my sleep began to be disturbed. I called my mother to explain the feeling I had and her advice was, “listen to that voice inside.” That was all I needed to hear. The next day, I called the entire process off. I lost some money from the inspection and a few other things, but that didn’t bother me one bit. Having peace meant way more to me than losing money.

Words can’t express how grateful and proud of myself I am for paying attention to that persistent feeling inside of me. I’m currently still renting, and I’m totally fine with that because I sleep like a baby at night knowing I made the right decision. A friend once said to me that building equity in your peace is way more important than building equity in a house. Boy was he right.

When something doesn’t feel right in your soul, it usually isn’t right - and vice versa. Trust your gut feeling, it’s there for a reason.

“If prayer is you talking to God, then intuition is God talking to you. ”

— Wayne Dyer

Outfit Details: Top // Leggings // Boots

Nurture Your Blessings, Starve Your Problems

When I received my first house plant, I really didn’t pay too much attention to it because at the time, plants weren’t my thing. I just sat it on my coffee table and watered it every now and then. Even though I neglected the plant, it still grew - just not as fast as it would have had it been nurtured properly.

On the flip side, there are these pesky weed looking plants (or whatever they are) growing in my backyard. I used to pay attention to them daily because I DIDN’T LIKE THEM! I would open my back door often to gaze at them with disgust in hopes that they will just disappear. They didn’t…they actually seemed to have grown bigger at times.

I grew tired of staring at those weed looking plants. But since getting rid of the plants was out of my control (too many bugs back there plus I’m currently renting), I decided not to give them my attention anymore. I began concentrating on my house plant. I talked to it, positioned it to receive sunlight, and watered it on a weekly basis. And sure enough it began to really sprout. The more I nurtured that plant, the more it grew. And as for the weed looking plants, they are still back there. They just don’t bother me as much anymore because I stop giving them life.

Ladies and gents, the method I applied to my house plant and those weed looking plants can be applied to our real life blessings and problems. What we nurture grows and what we starve doesn’t.

It’s a known fact that whatever we give your attention to expands. If we are constantly concentrating on the negative things going on in our lives, that will become our focal point and that is what we will continue to attract. But if we concentrate on the positive things we have going on, then that becomes our main priority and in turn our spirits will be lifted. We will then create a habit of looking for the blessing in all situations which will eventually lead to attracting more blessings.

Let’s work on watering our blessings and starving our problems. The issues probably won’t go away completely, but at least the beauty of the blessings will overpower them.

Watering my blessings,

- Samjah Iman

Outfit Details: Boots // Top // Jeans // Sweater

Booted

There are three reasons why I love fall: no humidity, the clocks go back an hour, and I get to wear over-the-knee boots.  Nothing excites me more than cute purses, spicy (free) food, and a pair of bad boots. 

Great boots allow you to dress down but still make a fashion statement.  The right pair of boots can take your outfit to another level.  If your shoe game is on point and your accessories pop, you can get away with wearing a plain, simple outfit.     

I paired my H&M boots with some cut-off shorts, a white boyfriend shirt, gold jewelry, and my cute animal print bag from Intuition.  The bag and the boots both brought this outfit to life.  

The best thing about these boots is that they were under $100!  Due to the low price, the gray pair have already sold out but the black pair is still available.  Get you a pair soon!  

Outfit Details:  Thigh-high Boots // Purse // Shirt

Have an awesome day everyone!  Stop making excuses and handle your business.  Change your mindset and hustle hard.  I'll do the same. 

Peace!

- The Boot Bandit

Photo Credit: Todd Sterling (toddlsterling@aol.com)

The Cool Sweater Dress

The pictures above were taken a couple of hours after standing by my dear friend/sister's side as she buried her father. During the funeral service, I was paying close attention to what everyone was saying about her father.  I noticed that not many people mentioned his accolades.  I was expecting people to say he was a successful lawyer and honorable judge.....he gave thousands of dollars to charities....he was a faithful member of his fraternity for over 40 years....etc.  However, hardly anyone discussed his accomplishments - but what they did discuss was how Mr. Lain (my friend's father) made them feel.  This made me think.  

Having a positive impact on people is far more important than making all the money you can make or being the best at whatever it is you're trying to be.  Those things are admirable, but how you treat others is the golden ticket.  After listening to Mr. Lain's family and friends speak about how he made them laugh or how he encouraged them, I made a small vow that from now on I would make sure that I encourage someone as often as I can, speak more kind words, make someone smile daily, and push someone in a positive direction.  Join me?          

Now about the cool sweater dress I'm wearing.  I scored this dress from Boohoo for only $20!   It is perfect for the fall weather because the material is thick enough to block out a slight breeze, yet light enough to keep you cool.  Depending on your whereabouts on the globe, you can wear it with a jacket or without a jacket.  I prefer wearing it with a jacket because it adds to the dress.  To complement my dress, I threw on my choker from Intuition and some black booties from Aldo (old).  My vintage Levi jacket came from Etsy.   

Have an awesome, productive week everyone and remember to have a positive impact on someone.

P.S. - Keep your head up Jewel....I got cha.  

- Samjah Iman