LaShara Lashawn

Wow!! We have made it to another year, 2019! My pastor is in a series about being happy and one of the first things he ask was why do we say “Happy New Year!” and what do we mean by it. For me when I say Happy New Year, what I’m saying is “Hey!!! glad you made it over, now enjoy it.” To me this means you were lucky/ blessed enough to see the next year so make the best of it. What I mean by you made it over is that you lived to see into the next year and God has still given you time to do whatever you need to do before your number is called.

The down side is that there are many people who did not live to see the new year. Unfortunately for me there were a few close people who transitioned at the end on 2018 as well at the very begining of the new year. This was a very tough time because it seemed like for about 3 weeks straight someone I knew had passed. Iv lost people before but not like that. I understand that it’s apart of life and God’s word is still true however it still hurts and you never want death to be at your door. So it has really been a tough time. I was able to speak at the memorial of my Honors History teacher who dedicated 30+ years to educating the youth of the city of Vallejo. He was an amazing person and educator.

This year Iv decided to make some changes and set some great goals. I’m trying to be in the best position possible for my years to come.

Goal #1. Get my money right

I have become almost obseesed with my credit score. I dont check it often howevert I think about it a lot. I have written out everyone I owe and in what time period I want them paid off. I plan to get a second job which will lighten the load financially, its so expensive. I almost want to get a boyfriend so he can move in and help me with theses bills. I know better, I wont be doing that but dang it sure would help. So getting my finances in order is very important. I want to save and make a habit of saving and not touching the money. Of course situations come up and Im so greatful to have some funds stashed away that I can grab. Iv been making lunches, not carrying my card as often. I find joy in knowing that I did not swipe my card during the week. This takes a lot of discipline but I know I can do this.

Goal #2. Work out plan

As they say health is wealth, I aim to be in the best shape possible and I want to run a 5k race this year, at least one by the summer. Last year I created the fitness plan that I knocked of rapper The Game. He does this 60 days of fitness and it appears to be really great. However it cost cost and I dont have the coin to allocate to such a program on top of my other financial obligations. Especially since I am trying to monitor my bills I dont need to go out and gain more bills. So I worked out regularly and ate amazing helathy foods and I saw great results. Unfortunately I hurt my ankle and it really through me off my game. So I had been on a 4 month hiatus and of course I gained the weight back. My mood was bad, I was always tired, always snacking, always trying to fit into my jeans so I said hey! I didnt have to deal with this when I was working out and being active. I felt better all the time and I really enjoyed the process so I will start it again. So far so good.

Goal #3 Create

Create creat and create. This is what I really enjoy doing! I have been painting for a while and I really enjoy doing that it is my new found hobby. When I paint I really loose my self in it. Painting challenges me in ways my 9-5 job doesnt, in ways a relationship cant and in ways that is really hard to descibe. The feeling of completion when I finish a work of art is amazing I just sit and stare at it for minutes on end. Also I have been in  the works of creating a podcast and I have a co host and we have set some goals but the schedules have been difficult so in my efforts to understand how it works I have launched my own podcast on Anchor!!!! It’s called Charmane’s World. Charmane is a nick name I was given by my cousin and it just stuck with me. Please check me out,  (https://anchor.fm/Charmaneswrld) and through Anchor my podcast has been connected to other outlets such as Spotify which is making so revent BIG moves in the podcast industry, google podcast, Breaker, PocketCasts and a few more. So that goal has already been checked. I just want to stay consistent and put out great content. I have been working on a book for some years and I really want to finish it, so it is my hope to dedicate more time to finishing that book.

Goal #4 Love me

As Im writing this section Im curently listening to Wale’s illest Bitch alive, I’m not for sure that’s the title but it is the course for sure. This is on eof my favorite songs and it makes me feel good because I really aim to be the illest alive, flawless and brown. I want to love me more, put me first. I have so many dreams and aspirations and it’s easy to get so consumed with the day to day grind and forget about the things that make me happy. I aim to love eljay more. Making an effort to where it becomes effortless to love on myself more, by pampering myself, saying positive words of affirmation, my word lately has been telling myself that I am great!

Goal #5 Sleep more stress less

I need more sleep. There is a feature on my phone that helps monitor your sleep. I plan on taking advantage of that service. I realize how sleep is soooooo important to me.  I am no good without some good sleep. It is probably the reason why I used to nap so much. With my anemia I dont take the medication because of the side effects so I’d feel tired often. Stress is the vehicle to what seems like to be any sickness. I am still very young and I plan to be here for a while and from reading and baring witness to what stress can do to your body it is not something I want to experience. I will be practicing better self care and ways to keep stress down.