Tag: life tips

APPS TO Streamline Your Life

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

Some of us may be thinking, “Oh no, I don’t need another reason to be on my phone,” and we hear you. We do. But hear us out. Where things can be complex, tech has tried its darndest to make it simple. There’s always an app for that. Here are some of our favorite apps for work, play, finances, self-improvement, and more so we can function like modern adults, but more optimally.

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Citizen

This app is excellent for safety, especially for those of us who live in a big city. Users get location-based safety alerts that can help us evade stumbling upon risky situations and know when to stay home if something dangerous is occurring in our ‘hood. 

We can access ongoing reports, leave comments and advice, and even share live videos. Their website touts “COVID-19 contact tracing, access to real-time 911 alerts, instant help from crisis responders, and safety tracking for friends and families.” If we’ve learned anything in 2020, it’s that we need more access to pro-safety apps like this.

Handy

We know what it’s like to let something broken in our home go a little too long without attention. Showering ankle-deep? Unacceptable. But easy to forget the second you step out, or block from your memory (seriously, ew). Streamline the arduous process of getting anything repaired or upgraded with the Handy app by comparing prices and hiring local contractors in your area. Services cover everything from home cleaning to a kitchen remodel, so no task is too small. 

Slack

2020 also brought us the great work-from-home era. It’s all fun and games and sweatpants until we call out to our work-wife and oh … right. Crickets. Or maybe our SO, or child. Still not what we were looking for. Save texting for fun convos and emails for attachments. Slack is the best workspace messaging app to streamline on-the-fly communication between team members. Create channels, set availability alerts, send reminders, attach files, comment, and organize all in one, without overloading your Google Drive.

Done

This app is not only great for productivity but straight-up self-improvement. It’s no secret here at BeautyLeeBar that we love optimizing for our best, healthiest selves, inside and out. Done helps us craft healthy routines by setting goals, tracking progress, and sending motivational alerts. Drop bad habits and carve out good ones by setting tangible daily, weekly, or monthly goals, and let Done be your gentle drill sergeant to hammer in the details so you can hold yourself accountable, and watch a digital paper trail of your progress. We’ll let you decide how you want to reward yourself.

Acorns

If any sort of financial jargon makes you instantly glaze over, then consider us a Krispy Kreme. It may not be our lingo, but we want in. Acorns automatically invest your chump change when you opt-in (think $1-$5) regularly, watching your portfolio for automatic balancing. But it’s not just investing in stocks. You can automatically save for retirement with recurring contributions based on your goals, employment, and income. It’s personalized and all laid out for you. You just fill in the blanks.

OfferUp

Not all our crap is total crap. Some of it is kinda worth something! Skip the pesky Craigslist ad and upload pics of your unwanted goods to the Offerup app to name your price, haggle, and get rid of things taking up space in your life, all from your phone on the couch. It’s also a great way to find amazing deals on used furniture, appliances, even cars! There is no limit to the goods you can find and sell on OfferUp.

If This Then That

The ultimate streamliner, If This Then That (IFTT) lets you connect all your services (which is what they call productivity apps like Google Assistant, Evernote, Fitbit, Twitter, Dropbox, etc.) so that you never lose track of a task, event, or goal via what they deem an “Applet.” Their example: “an Applet can sync your Amazon Alexa to-dos with your Google Calendar. Or create events in your iPhone Calendar, via Google Assistant.” If you’ve ever wished your productivity tools could talk to each other so you don’t need another app to remind you to check your apps, IFTT does that.

Headspace

After all this talk of productivity, who has time to meditate? You do. We do. Because of Headspace! What has seemed daunting in the past is now totally digestible thanks to founder Andy Puddicombe’s quest to bring his pivotal Buddhist monk experience into the daily lives of us all. We don’t have to quit our day jobs and shave our heads and take a silent retreat to embrace mindfulness and learn the major benefits of meditation first-hand. Guided meditations of all kinds and lengths can be found on the app to get us started and keep us going. 

Mint

So we’ve talked about investing, but what about just organization? Mint helps you create budgets, track spending, monitor credit and reach savings goals in one super-secure app. If you’re never sure where all your money goes by the end of the month, or want to get better at saving, or simply want to be in touch with your finances on an intimate level, this is the app that will get you there. Money can be a touchy topic that we tend to avoid, but Mint melts away that anxiety with clear-cut organization, goal setting, and encouraging clarity.

Up next, shop the newest items from the BeautyLeeBar Shop here.

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How to Not MINDFUCK YOURSELF

Published on by Lee3 Comments

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was this: “Stop standing in your way.” And the thing standing in the way of us and our dreams? FEAR. Fear that we won’t succeed, fear that things won’t work out, and fear that we simply aren’t good enough. It is so easy to allow these fears to have control over us. And when we do, fear limits us by keeping us locked in our comfort zones, driving us to self-sabotage, and keeping us stuck.

But as author Zig Ziglar put it, perhaps FEAR has two meanings, one that confines us and one that empowers us:

Meaning 1: Forget Everything and Run

Meaning 2: Face Everything and Rise

Imagine the potential we would unlock if we began to use fear to help us rise to opportunity rather than run from it. Here are a few tips to help do this:

1. Question Your Thoughts

When the voice of doubt, uncertainty, and fear comes into your mind, take a moment to question its authority. Remember that you are not your thoughts; you are simply the observer of them. This means that you have the power to choose whether to trust and act on these thoughts or choose to ignore, replace, and overcome them. When fear tells you, “Don’t do it, you’ll never succeed,” take a deep breath, pause, and replace that thought with one that empowers you. Perhaps you could repeat a positive mantra such as “I am capable of anything I set my mind to.”

2. Be Ok with Discomfort

When fear tells you to “forget everything and run” and you choose to instead “face everything and rise,” you make that wonderful and liberating choice to step outside of your comfort zone. What inevitably accompanies this decision (to varying degrees) is a feeling of discomfort. Remember that your subconscious finds comfort in the familiar, even if that familiar is not something that serves you. So when you decide to rise (step outside of your comfort zone), your subconscious says to you, “What’s going on here? This doesn’t feel right. This isn’t what you normally do.” This creates a feeling of discomfort. At this point, you have another choice to make—do you allow the discomfort to push you to self-sabotage and fall back into old patterns, or do you sit with that discomfort, be OK with it, and keep going for the greater good?

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3. Heal the Source

Fear is almost always driven by a culmination of your insecurities, past experiences, and old pain. When you become aware of your fear, you can allow it to guide you to unhealed wounds that need some love, care, and attention so that you can break the fear cycle.

4. Find Your Reason

When fear rears its ugly head, you need a good enough reason to fight it off and move forward. You need to be clear on WHY you should choose not to Forget Everything and Run, but instead Face Everything and Rise. Ask yourself, “What change do I want in my life and why do I want it?” Allow your desire and passion for personal growth to drive you, undeterred by the doubt in your mind.

5. Get Ready

When you start to live a life that is not governed by fear but is fueled by it, your life will transform in every way. So get ready to let go of the past and embrace the endless possibilities ahead of you.

Essentially, what I’m trying to say is this: fears will come into your mind, but see them for what they are—unwelcome visitors. Don’t allow them to control your behavior or dictate what you do or don’t do. Don’t allow them to rule over you and your future. Do not allow yourself to be mindfucked by your fear. Remember that you always have a choice. So choose to take charge, rise above your fears and doubts, step out of your comfort zone, unlock your fullest potential, and manifest the life of your f*cking dreams!

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Roxie Nafousi is a self-development coach, manifesting expert, yoga teacher, and host of the podcast “The Moments That Made Me.” Head to her website to book a spot in her next self-development webinar, schedule a one-on-one advice session, or download one of her meditations or affirmation playlists designed to help you on your manifestation journeys. Follow her on Instagram.

The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice and consultation, including professional medical advice and consultation; it is provided with the understanding that BeautyLeeBar, LLC (“Hello Beauties”) is not engaged in the provision or rendering of medical advice or services. The opinions and content included in the article are the views of the author only, and BeautyLeeBar does not endorse or recommend any such content or information, or any product or service mentioned in the article. You understand and agree that BeautyLeeBar shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon any content or information in the article or any other article that is provided on here, BeautyLeeBar.com.

How Are You Going to MAKE YOUR RESOLUTIONS LAST?

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

We’re all guilty of entering the new year with the greatest of intentions. We want to turn our lives around and kick-start all these healthy habits we hope will change our lives for the better.

It’s great … in theory.

But then, when we try to stick it out long-term, we fail. But why?

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Work from the inside out

Around 60% of us will make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8% of us will be successful in achieving them. And this is because we don’t tend to approach them in the right way. Often, the biggest issue with making grand plans for the new year is that we don’t tackle these changes from the inside out.

If you don’t start by looking at the internal factors that got you into the position you’re in today, then you will be relying on nothing more than sheer willpower to change your external life. And willpower is like a battery; it needs to be restored and will eventually run out altogether.

The biggest difference between those who succeed and those who don’t, in anything, is consistency. And expecting to change purely from the outside isn’t sustainable. I always say it’s like trying to polish a turd. You can’t stay consistent that way. If the internal landscape doesn’t change, the external landscape doesn’t change—or at least it won’t change long-term.

The only way to work toward a new you is to take a long, hard look at how you became the way you are now. Now, this isn’t an exercise in beating yourself up. It’s an exercise in looking at what you need to succeed, why you feel a need to change, and what hasn’t worked for you so far.

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In many cases, large-scale changes come about when something big happens—a huge internal shift that pushes us forward. For example, the child in school who was told they wouldn’t make it grows up with this big motivation to prove people wrong, manifesting in their hard work and success. Or the unfit dad who smokes suddenly realizes he can’t even play in the park with his kid anymore and decides to kick the habit once and for all.

It’s about suddenly recognizing something about ourselves—a turning point—be that a photo that shocked us, a death, one putdown too many, or an opportunity being waved at us. Something happens and we suddenly see something we don’t want for ourselves or something we want. At that moment, something shifts inside us, and we start doing things a little differently as a result. And it empowers us toward success.

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Ask yourself why

Say your resolution this year is to drink less alcohol. It might be easy enough to succeed at this, just changing your weekly schedule slightly. But if you can’t, and you’re finding it more challenging, you need to ask yourself why. What does the drink do for you that you’re not addressing?

When the internal isn’t shifted, the root cause of why you’re drinking more than you’d like doesn’t either, so you can’t expect the behavior to change. Ask yourself why. Is it boredom, emotional needs, a lack of inspiration, or stress? Why have you gotten to a point where you feel a need to change this about yourself? What have you lost along the way?

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Sometimes, you can engage in new behavior and feel so good about it that it helps clear this blockage. But usually, you need to unblock it first, uncover the root cause, and change the behavior that way. Your behavior and the result you currently have to live with are only the symptoms. The root cause is what you need to identify to change.

Similarly, we need to hold strong to our goals. We all say “ah, fuck it” from time to time and engage in behaviors we know we shouldn’t. That’s normal. But it’s when we don’t get back on the horse and we allow all the progress we’ve made to come undone that we stay where we are, or worse, go further backward.

If saying “fuck it” means one step forward, three steps back, it’s going to be a long time before you get anywhere, and we’ll have increased feelings of failure to deal with for not succeeding. It’s a way to ensure we feel worse about ourselves, not better. Identify what triggers you to say it. What makes you put off the changes you want to make? It might be a lack of willpower, an overwhelming sensation, or feeling worn out. But whatever it is, you want to get down to those root that created the situation you’re now trying to deal with.

New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to establish better habits and start the new year as healthily and happily as possible. But they take a lot of hard work and internal progress. You can’t just change behavior overnight and expect it to stick. You need to change your internal landscape first. Once you identify why you want or need to change something, your resolutions will become a lot easier to stick to. When the internal landscape shifts, the external one soon follows.

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HOW ENDINGS Can Be a Good Thing

Published on by Lee3 Comments

We tend to perceive endings as a kind of death. We dread them, we try to prevent them, and we grieve them, experiencing feelings of scarcity and loss. We think that’s OK, to an extent. We can mourn our losses, but it’s also important to see endings as a means to impending freshness.

We tend to get so caught up in endings that we forget to focus on the present moment. We cling to what has been (the past) and fear the unknown, post-ending (the future). It can be the ending of a job, a friendship, an experience, or of course, a love or relationship. Being OK with—and even excited about the prospect of—an ending is allowing ourselves to be present.

When it comes to the end of a relationship, You need to stop ‘seeing the good’ in suckas and start seeing the shit they show you. Their energy will never change, but yours can. We can’t think of a better amen moment when that’s the kind of ending we’re fixed upon. 

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The most important tip to take away from this post is to make sure you plan for what’s next, rather than thinking about what could’ve been: “Your journey is difficult because you’re called to do dope shit, and not everyone will be allowed on the Muthafuckin’ ride. Don’t trip; the universe has a way of gifting you something in return when you lose something close to you. That’s what moving forward is all about.” It’s about momentum. No need to swing back when everything in our life is ahead of us.

Much of the time we don’t realize that something isn’t serving us. Maybe it looks great on paper. Maybe it’s the source of our livelihood, whether we are truly happy in it or not. In this way, we can keep ourselves stuck in energetic toxicity. When you focus on your path, you’ll gain more than you ever fuckin’ lost.

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2021 is the year we match this kind of intensity. Sometimes we don’t choose when the eject button is hit, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing. Embrace the free fall, and get ready for new growth. All we can do is bloom.

2021 just started, your year has not been ruined. RESET AND RECHARGE!