If we’re anything alike, you’re doing the most trying to boost your immune system and stay healthy. A few of my daily rituals include adding a little Apple Cider Vinegar to my morning cup of Herbal Tea to kill viruses and bacteria and also eating more citrus fruits to boost my Vitamin C Level. Be sure to check out my website for all your Herbal Tea needs.
While scrolling through Instagram I came across a recipe for a mixture called Fire Cider and I am definitely curious to give it a try.
From what I’ve read, Fire Cider has many health benefits, with the two most common being boosting your immune system and fighting cold and flu. The instructions say to take 1 tablespoon daily to prevent illness and 1 tablespoon 3 times a day if you are not well.
I’ve included a recipe below so that you can try it. I’ve also included a link for you to read more about Fire Cider and all of it’s amazing benefits.
Your second challenge of the day is to find additional ways to boost your immune system.
Peace.
Ingredients:
1 horseradish root
1 ginger root
1 onion
1 garlic head
1 turmeric root or 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric
Honey (added after the fermentation process is done and fire cider is strained to balance the spicy taste)
Instructions:
I usually start by grating ginger and horseradish roots and chop garlic, onions, and hot peppers and place them in a tight lid jar.
It’s recommended to do the grating and chopping in a well-ventilated area if you can’t tolerate the strong smell and fumes, especially when you are grating horseradish root and onion
Add apple cider vinegar to the jar and make sure everything is submerged and shake well.
Screw the lid tightly in place
Place the jar in a dark, cool place and let it sit for 2-4 weeks and don’t forget to shake it every day.
After 2-4 weeks strain the fire cider and transfer the liquid part into a tight lid container and discard the herbs and veggies.
Remember to keep the lid tightly sealed when you are not consuming it, so it stays fresh potent for longer
Store fire cider in the fridge at all times. Fire cider has long shelf life and can stay good for up to 1 year.
There are no nonessentials. Starting today, you should eliminate that word from your conversations.
Everyone has a role to play in flattening the curve of coronavirus. Yes there are Healthcare Workers, Police, Military, Food Workers and so on who are expected to show up, practice social distancing and perform their jobs onsite during this pandemic.
Then we have those who are expected to stay home and help lessen the chance of spreading coronavirus through community spread.
Both options are essential and should be respected as such.
A person may not be required to show up onsite to perform their job but their intentional decisions to say words of prayer, maintain 6 feet from their neighbor and take additional measures to stay healthy are essential to all of us.
Whatever your role, do it with pride and know that you are making a difference.
I pray life has been good to you and good for you! I am slowly getting back into the groove of things after a looonnnnggg holiday hiatus. Real quick, let’s check in, how are you doing?
I know this time of the year can be a bit overwhelming because everyone is attempting to live their best life and construct the perfect Vision Board. It can become a bit much.
I did things a little different this year, as far as creating my Vision Board. I decided to allow my Spirit Needs to be the governing body for all that I manifest this year. That means I’ve chosen 4 Scriptures to guide me in all things Melissa…personal and professional. I have 4 overall objectives to accomplish: 1. Celebrate the good things daily, 2. Maximize my health, 3. Do more of what I love and 4. Grow my business.
I’ve listed several goals under each objective to help me achieve them. I turned my goals into an Action Plan that I visit and review daily. I’ve learned that I need to be more specific in asking for what I want, and Make Accommodationsto receive!
I’ve already met my January financial goal for my business!
It’s not enough to have good intentions and an Action Plan. You need a good word to stand on. You need a good scripture or quote that will help you get through the challenging times when things begin to look bleak. I’ve chosen 4 Scriptures that are my building and stumbling blocks for 2020. If I start to stumble I want to rest in the assurance that I am stumbling on a good word – Amen!
Here are my 4 Scriptures. You can feel free to use the same four or find others that will help you Make Accommodationsto receive!
Philippians 4:8 – Whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise..think about these things
3 John 1:2 – Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Hebrews 1:14 – Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I want to hear from you! Have you created a Vision Board for 2020, if so how do you feel about it? Has it been beneficial so fare? If you haven’t created a Vision Board, what’s stopping you? Comment below and tell me what’s on your mind.
Do you Journal? If not, what’s holding you back and if you do, what keeps you going?
A lot of people journal to release emotion and organize their feelings. To be honest, we’re all out here experiencing about 27 emotions daily. That is quite a ride and it’s tough to manage it all. So, what we’re doing is taking the emotion adding to it our daily responsibilities plus the needs and expectations from others and then attempting to get through the day without a method to release. This is the perfect formula for a mental breakdown.
I get it, we want to appear like we have our stuff together with little resistance, add to that this whole self-care trend of “don’t kill my vibe, “don’t interrupt my peace” and “don’t bother me with that”, this leaves us feeling obligated to hold in our emotions.
I’ve found journaling to be a helpful outlet. During those times when I am overflowing with emotions, both positive and negative, journaling helps me to reflect on events, organize my thoughts, release some pinned up energy and even generate solutions. It’s one of the many tools that can be used to re-direct your energy.
There’s another benefit of journaling that very few people notice. Journaling helps you to identify trends. If you journal often and notice a trend of negative or low-energy words and phrases, it’s safe to say you are probably suffering with Imposter Syndrome, self-sabotage and maybe even low self-esteem. If this is you, it’s time for a change in perspective.
I deal with those feelings too. I doubt my abilities, second guess my capabilities and I will overthink a scenario to the very extreme. It’s quite exhausting but I’ve figured out how to manage those feelings.
If you’ve been a member of the Origins of Peace community for any amount of time, you know that our #1 goal is to empower you to get out here and Impress Yourself. There are two reasons why this is important:
If you don’t impress yourself, no one else will ever stand a chance of impressing you. This is important for business deals, relationships, money goals, all of that. You must set a standard and stick to it. Example, if you want to be in a loving relationship, you must first love yourself. Impress yourself by doing things you enjoy and going to places that make you happy. This produces impression and excitement. It’s mentally stimulating, and it gets you into the habit of Impressing Yourself so that you will know when others are meeting and exceeding your expectations!
A whole lot of time is spent impressing other folks. You impress your boss when you show up for work and do an exceptional job, you impress your kids by showing up for them daily. It’s time to Impress Yourself!
For the month of November, I am challenging you to use journaling as a tool to change your communication message to yourself! There are 30 days in November. I am giving you 1 word each day to use as a prompt. You will reflect on how the word shows up in your life on that day and compose a journal entry. Your entry can be written or a short video that you keep on your phone. The words that I provide to you should evoke feelings of happiness, bravery, calmness, rejuvenation and friendliness.
I would love to know how this challenge goes for you. You can find me on both IG and Facebook at Origins of Peace to get the word for the day.
You can leave a comment one either platform to get the dialogue started.
Oh yea, if you’re not on my email list, you should be. Our next gratitude offering winner will be announced on Monday, November 4th. You must be on the list to get included in the drawing! Visit www.melissaarivers.com to sign up. You can see the prize for Monday’s drawing on my IG page.
Can you remember the last time that you were excited by the ordinary? I’m talking about those simple pleasures that we often taken for granted like nature, peace, love and even silence. Oftentimes we find ourselves caught up in acquiring more, achieving more and constantly looking for the next promotion, elevation or fancy purchase that we believe will help us to find happiness.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching my grandbaby experience excitement from being able to play with a lid. As I watched her face glow with amusement, I could only think about how easy it is to forget about the simple things that once provided us with joy.
“I have three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” `Lao Tzu
Today I am sharing 3 tips about simplicity, patience and compassion that may help you live a happier life.
Living a life of simplicity will help you focus on what is important. Let me first start by saying that simplicity looks different for everyone and only you can decide what simplicity looks like for you. Personally I enjoy things with low or no maintenance, little fuss and very little worry. I normally spend more time, money and energy researching a product or service before making a purchase to alleviate or reduce the amount of stress that comes with a lot of wear and tear. Because I am a person who experiences anxiety when things are out of order, I attempt to maintain as much order as possible by keeping it simple.
Be patient with yourself and others. Patience is important because it helps you build empathy for others and accept people for who they are. That last statement is so true but please understand that having patience with yourself is priority number one because it helps you become more tolerant of the different stages of life that you will experience. There will come a time when you feel inadequate. Instead of getting discouraged and beating yourself up remember to exercise patience!
Extend compassion as often as possible. Have you ever found yourself saying, “it’s always something,” or “why can’t I ever catch a break?” The people around you are saying the same statements to themselves. Be kind and extend compassion to the next person because everyone is experiencing life and sometimes life can be tough.
Fill your life with simplicity, patience and compassion to not only live happier but also to live healthier. Incorporating these tips can reduce your stress level and boost your immune system.
In my last post I challenged you to make a list of the people, places, things and experiences that add peace to your life. If you’re not familiar, catch up by reading
Now that you have your list, use the following scale to rank the level of peace each item adds:
1-not much peace
2- moderate amount of peace
3-extreme peace
To elevate your Peace Factor spend more time focusing on the items ranked with a 3, determine if items ranked with a 2 can be elevated to a three and consider what changes should be made to remove or redefine items ranked with a 1.
This exercise can be challenging. If at anytime you feel yourself needing support simply email me at: info@designedbymelissarivers.com
As a forty-something female professional, there are habits that you can implement or release that will boost your professional self-confidence and empower you to trust yourself more.
If you’ve been in your current position for an extended period of time, you may feel underwhelmed and uninspired. It may be difficult for you to focus on your work and deliver your absolute best. Unless you work for yourself or you operate the family business, this can be a real problem. Depending on who’s watching, you could find yourself in a situation where management doesn’t feel like you take your responsibilities seriously. If you work for yourself and fail to deliver a stellar product, you could appear as an amateur to those you conduct business with.
When I returned to work after recovering from cancer, I was my biggest critic. I felt insecure about my appearance and I didn’t feel on top of my game because personal development and professional training had taken a back seat to my recovery. I was also well over 40 and the corporate workplace was now flooded with Millennials!
Upon returning, there were several things that I did to boost my confidence. Today I am sharing 3 of my signature tips that will help you operate from a place of grace instead of a place of constant hustle.
The objectives are to be more polished, to trust yourself more and to feel good about who you are!
Develop and implement a morning routine.
Wake up early, spend time in prayer, affirm what you want and meditate on the good, positive situations that you are welcoming into your day.
Release actions that are unnecessary.
If you’re a woman who constantly apologizes even when situations do not warrant an apology, Stop. Over apologizing makes it appear that you are unsure you belong in the room. When these feeling arise (ImposterSyndrome) remember; you did the work to be in the room and grace elevates you further than effort ever will, Receive It.
Remain Inspired.
If you’re not excited by your work, find inspiration in the daily details. Examine your partnerships, goals, expected outcomes and even your clothing and accessories to find inspiration. I recently found inspiration in a pair of beautiful, hand-crafted earrings which where created by Angelique Car, owner of tha dak brand.
Check out these beauties!
Are you inspired yet!?!
I’m inspired by the collaboration and individuality of the materials that were used. Each element has a specific purpose and performs a distinct role in the overall design. These earrings simply make me happy and that’s exactly what our clothing and accessory choices should do.
Here’s what Angelique has to say about her designs:
“Each pair of earrings are unique and one of a kind. I allow my creative wave to do it’s thing in the moment. Sometimes I come up with designs that really show what my mood was at that time. I feel like that’s what makes them so special, they are genuinely made with a little soul and a lot of life! I am at a very happy place in my life right now, and I am grateful that I can birth something that allows me to share that with the world.”
I can’t help but think about the individual gifts and talents that women posses. We are strong, resilient, tender and creative all at the same damn time.
At any given point we have the flexibility and ingenuity to pull from those resources to accomplish our goals and to create something beautiful. When opportunities arise for us to combine our gifts with the gifts of the next woman, we can come together and make a beautiful masterpiece, just like those earrings!
As promised, I have one more bonus tip for you.
BONUS – Find your passion and cultivate it.
Peace is my passion. With my passion I choose to teach conflict resolution strategies to women that provide guidance for mental clarity, self-preservation and service to others. I also create courses that empower women to trust themselves more! This is my passion and how I use it. To discover your passion, grab my e-book; Design Your Happy Track To Peace and schedule a Consultation so we can chat!
If you are interested in learning more about Angelique and her upcoming fall collection, check her out on Instagram at: @thadakbrand or shoot her an Email at thadakbrand@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook at: tha dak brand.
If you’re a female business owner or simply a female with a positive and uplifting message to share, let’s link up! I would love to feature you on my blog and learn more about what you’re up to.
Affirmation #2 – I am creating true relationships and lasting connections by being grateful for each encounter, providing support without compromising my boundaries and holding space for us to evolve.”
I wrote this affirmation while thinking about the complexities of relationships and how self-love is a direct reflection of how we love others.
I am a firm believer in self-preservation and protecting my peace by properly managing my circle of influence but I understand fully that my relationships and how I show up in them are a direct reflection of how I show love to myself.
If I’m constantly telling myself that I am inadequate or lacking in certain areas, I will feel that I have the authorization to speak those same inequities into the lives of others.
This is completely false.
No one has the right to infuse their personal self-doubt on anyone else.
Affirm to Nurture Your Relationships.
Decide today that you will speak better to yourself, think more highly about who you are and begin to value your own opinion. By doing so, you create a nurturing foundation that will be the basis for all of your relationships
Set boundaries that create positive encounters. Make a decision to stop interjection your unsolicited opinions in other people’s lives. Nine times out of ten, nobody asked you…so stop. Leave something to the imagination.
Express gratitude when someone shares their time, energy, knowledge and love with you
Remember: Your thoughts, words and actions should be for your greatest good and to be of service to others. Hold thoughts and actions toward others in the same regard.
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