Do you fear failure? Are you afraid of the dark? Are you scared that you may not be able to main your relationship? Well, I guess now its your chance to face all of your fears with your pearly whites! According to dictionary.com, fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, and pain whether the threat is real or imagined. Everyone always views fear as a negative emotion but really it isn’t, fear is actually your best friend!

What would you do if someone chased you down the road trying to kill you? You’d probably run for your life, right? If fear did not exist within you, you wouldn’t run away, you would just stand there and be killed. Fear is one of the factors that keep you alive; it allows you to act on your natural instincts and it saves you from doing harm to yourself. Fear keeps you away from many of the dangers that are in the wild, which can harm you emotionally and physically. You are a curious being and at one point of your life you might have wanted to do something irrational but your fear of harming your self may have stopped you. Fear is a great natural instinct that you have inherited that can save your life.

What if I tell you that fear is your motivator? Let me give you an example, I fear failure, I fear not doing well at school, which then leads me to fear that I am not going to go far in life. This fear motivates me to try my best, reminds me how important my education is, and keeps me on track. If I did not fear this fear then I would not care about school and I would probably not even be writing this post right now. Jocelyn J. Bélanger of University of Maryland did a study on how fear affected individuals. Bélanger found that during the experiments, those who feared failure aimed at avoiding failure and responded with positive motivation to their failures while increasing their performance whereas those who did not fear failure had no changes in their performance whether they were successful or not. Even in this study it can be seen that fear can motivate you to perform well.

Mary Ferguson quoted, “Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.” Fear is the guide that leads you to the path of freedom. Fear is that grey cloud that follows you everywhere you go, but as soon as you face it, the cloud disappears and leaves you alone. For example, my friend had a job she hated; she wanted to pursue a different career. She feared going to work everyday and she feared the consequences of quitting her job. She always had panic attacks before going to work and her fear went so far that she got sick a lot. One day she couldn’t take it anymore, so she faced her fear and quit her job. Not only did she gain freedom from her fear she also gained freedom from her job that she hated. Facing such fears can help you understand who you really are and give yourself the freedom of not being someone who you aren’t. Therefore understanding and facing your fears can lead you to gain freedom.

In sum, fear is a lifesaver, a motivator, and a guide to freedom. From now on, don’t view fear as your enemy, view it as your best friend. Take advantage of your fear and make the best out of it. Always remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote, “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we cannot.”

Written By: Vyshnave Jeya

A Shoppers Guide: How to Choose What to Buy

I love shopping but don’t take me wrong, it could be the most stressful thing that someone can ever do. One could be easily confused when shopping with the variety of options of styles, shades of colours, and prices. I can finish my budget within 5 minutes or 5 hours but still find myself unhappy with what I bought. There are so many aspects of shopping that I can write about and today I am going to write about how to choose what to buy.

Two years ago, I used to be the kind of shopper who runs to the back of the store where the clearance or the sale section is and I would approximately buy 5 tops for $50. I just pick up the clothes because it’s cheap and it looks pretty. I wouldn’t even bother to try the clothes on. I sometimes buy clothes that are either too small or too big for me. When buying it, I tell myself that I am either going to lose weight or grow into it, so one day I will be able to fit into them. But, we all know that none of that is going to happen. When I come home and try these clothes on, I am not very happy with it because of one of the following reasons; the clothes may have a defect or it doesn’t look great on me. The unfortunate thing is that I can’t exchange these clothing items because it is on final sale. Even after two years, I still have some of these clothes with tags on in my closet. Every time I see these clothes on my hangers, I regret my shopping sense. As a result of my bad experiences, I now have techniques on how to choose what to buy and I will be sharing it with you.

First and foremost make a list of things you need to buy and the best place to start is looking through your closet. Making a list of things you need is important because you get excited when you get to the store and tend to forget what you need. Do you have the basic clothes like a white and black t-shirt? Is there anything you need to buy? Are you missing anything that is currently in trend like the denim jacket? Did you see something that your friend wore to school and loved it? After you make the list of things you really need and have a sense of what you want, you can move onto the next step.

Before you go to the store and get overwhelmed by the amount of things, do an online window-shopping. Go to the online websites of the stores you shop at and look at all the clothing they have. Zoom into the pictures, have a stare-down contest, read the details, and sometimes the items may have reviews so read it. You can also look at the store’s lookbooks, which can help you find out what the newest clothing trends are. Now, keep the clothes you might want to buy in your mind and head to the store. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t find what you saw online at the store or if the pictures online have deceived you because that just means that the two of you were never meant to be.

Now as you wander off into heaven you may have accumulated a huge pile of clothing that you want to buy. But stop! You want to buy these clothes because they look visually appealing but you won’t know for sure unless you try it on. Go and stand in line to use the change room and take someone that will he honest with you so they can criticize how you look. If you don’t have the patience to wait in line to try your outfit, then it means that you aren’t really interested in the outfit. After you tried on your clothes and narrowed it down to a few items ask yourself the following questions;

• Will I be proud to show-off what I bought?
• Is this a new kind of style that I am going to add to my closet?
• Will I wear this on a daily basis?
• Does this outfit flatter me?
• Will I regret not buying this item?
• Does this outfit fit me?
• Is the price of this item within my budget?
• Is the outfit worth its price?

If you answer no to any of these questions that means it may not be the best thing to buy so keep looking because you might find something that you will love! If you answered yes to all of the questions, then what are you waiting for? Go steal the deal! Picking up an item and saying no to it can be one of the hardest things a girl could do but be brave and accept the truth! It may be hard at first but when you shop like this repeatedly you can build yourself a very stylish closet.

So remember to ask yourself these questions and have an open mind! Good luck shopping!

Written By: Vyshnave Jeya

Be Still and Dare to Visualize

I will be the first to admit that I never dared to visualize the future in many areas of my life. Meaning, I knew I wanted a beautiful colorful home by the water with a sort of vintage feel and a white Range Rover (Sport) in my driveway but I wasn't actually visualizing these thoughts into being.

Visualization is when we use our imagination to achieve a desired result.

Many of us 'say' we want things; a house, a husband, a business, a fashion line, a boat, degree etc However we don't actually see it in the finished product. And until we do so, it's just words coming out of our mouths. And yes, words have power, of course we can all agree on that. But, do you actually sit there and picture the home? The tiles? The wooden floors? The drapes? The backyard? The deck? The pool? The landscaping? Well, guess what? I had a total AHA moment yesterday while studying. Out of nowhere I saw the home I desire to have in the near future. Not in a magazine or in person. It came to me in a vision and I claimed it. I told God, "yes that's the home. I WILL have it." As a little girl, my dream was to live by the water.

I began to vision the décor and the most beautiful part was that it was on a beach. That's right. But hey, if "so so" can have it, why can't we / I? We limit ourselves too much and personally I am just tired of 'settling' because I am not a 'settling' kinda gal :-)

This vision was so intense. I could not believe how much of the home I began to visualize. I got real quiet, put down my book and just stared at the candle that was burning in my room....in order to really get into the pictures I was seeing. All day today, that 'house' was on my mind. Every detail in it. The windows were floor to ceiling and they didn't have any drapes or curtains. It even had a vintage feel and look (the décor) with a lot of white and bright colors. The most beautiful part of it was my reading deck. Yes that's right, I had a reading deck filled with bean bags on the floor and a couple gazebo's (did I spell it right?). I am now hooked on that vision and I have already claimed it.

Ladies, we have got to start seeing our dreams as if they were already true. We've got to be as specific as possible. This is how these dreams literally come to life. You began to see and feel it so much that you can literally smell the home (lol). See yourself in that new home going about your daily routine. I saw myself in it today; gardening. Remember, there is no wrong way to visualize. Speak to God if you don't already. He knows what we want and He also knows the level of maturity were at in order to be able to handle those blessings.

I think for too many years I believed I didn't deserve to have all the beautiful things and people in my life, I know I was destined to have. And those beliefs come from our childhood experiences. We limit ourselves and we are unwilling to accept great and grand things for ourselves.

Well ladies, BE STILL and begin to visualize the life you want, right NOW!

My New Friend With Benefits!

So I had to tell you about my 'new' best friend. Like I mean literally...

I had seen him many times before but never quite desired to try him out on a regular basis. Why? Well, I though it would be too much drama getting him ready. I loved the way he looked and tasted but I wasn't willing to put in the work it took to get him to look all pretty and colorful. I love pretty and colorful things :-)

Ok, about 3 months ago, I decided to take him home since he would add tremendous benefits to my life; QUINOA! Yes that's right. This unbelievable nutritious cholesterol-free and low-fat source of protein is changing e minha vida. Talk about benefits! I have been juicing on a regular basis (almost everyday) for the past year and a half and I thought that was about the greatest thing ever, however, I consider Quinoa just as amazing.

For the past 4 days, I have been boiling some every morning and after a great workout, I have a bowl for lunch and then again for dinner. On a separate frying pot, depending on my mood, I stir fry (in organic coconut oil) everything from beets, asparagus, okra, beans, pumpkin, tiny pieces of yam, beans, broccoli etc and then once the Quinoa is boiled, I mix it all in one pot. Talk about benefits - Deva's!

I have been on a health tip for awhile now (not overboard) and I have also decided to incorporate some other healthy living habits to my life. I have enrolled into some 'Nutrition and Fitness' courses at Humber and I am totally excited to learn more. After all, what are we or what do we have without a healthy mind, body and soul?

I ask God everyday to use my life as an example of Him. I mean if I say God is the author of my life, I am sure that means, He would want for me to treat my body as a temple as well, right? Well, that is my desire. The more I learn, the more empowered I feel. I will forever be a student when it comes to Him.

More on Quinoa:

According to the USDA nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked quinoa (185 g) contains 8.14 grams of protein. To put that in reference, the recommended daily protein intake is about 56 grams for most men and 46 for most women.

Quinoa is naturally low in fat, but as a seed, it does have a small amount. One cup of cooked quinoa provides 3.4 grams of fat. By comparison, 185 grams cooked lean ground beef provides 33 grams of fat. Remarkable huh?

Quinoa is relatively low in calories. One cup of cooked quinoa provides 222 calories.

Quinoa is a great source of iron and fiber for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. One cup of cooked quinoa (185 grams) provides 15% of the recommended daily intake of iron, and 5 grams of fiber, which is 21% the recommended amount. Quinoa is also an excellent source of magnesium, with 118 mg per cup, cooked. According to the USDA nutrient database, one cup of cooked quinoa provides:

•39.41 mg carbohydrates
•31 mg calcium
•2.76 mg iron
•318 mg potassium
•13 mg sodium
•2.02 mg zinc



So Ladies, go ahead and pay Bulk Barn (my favorite store) a visit and get boiling :-)

Love, Lizzy