Building Habits and creating success in your life

For quite some time I have been trying my hardest to create some healthy and successful habits in my daily routine. Since my son is out of school for the summer, sleeping in has its appeal. Today though I got up at 6:30 am, my goal is 6 am. Even though today hasn't yet gone exactly the way I wanted it to I still consider it a win.

I am determined to be as productive as I possibly can today. I've made myself a goal to stay off of social media. This is honestly one of the hardest things I've ever tried to accomplish. My work doesn't permit me to be off 100% of the time as I do run Social media for SheNative Goods Inc. I also have a social media to run for my own photography page. So far though I've been on point and been very efficient with what I need to do, getting it done and getting out of there.

Honestly I have set myself up schedules and have my days planned out to a "T" I'm not even sure how I fit so much social media browsing into my schedule. According to my schedule I don't have time for it. There is so much wasted time staring at my phone that I'm actually quite disappointed in myself on a regular basis. I know better though then to beat myself up for my faults.

Today though is a win I have already gotten in all my personal growth habits. I've listened to my audio, I've cleared my voice mails, and I've read for 15 minutes. There is a cleaning schedule I have hanging up that I will most definitely be able to accomplish, because I am determined not to spend my idle time today scrolling my phone. I have already gotten done the editing I set out to do for the day.

This is how I've been able to create a more efficient and positive life.

1) My walls are covered in positive quotes that remind me of my mission and mean something to me.

2) I keep my calendars on point and in my face.

3) I created a list of my top 5 habits and what will happen to me if do them and if I don't do them. Each of my five habits represent a variety of smaller more defined habits. Each of those habits also fall into a category of Emotional, Mental, Physical or Spiritual. This is a picture of the visual reminder I have created for myself. Everyone's will be different, but please feel free to use mine as a guide if you'd like to create your own.

4) I take care of issues or tasks in my life based upon their importance. There are things in our life that aren't exactly urgent, but they are important. Those are things that will fall into your daily habits and will determine where you will be in the next 2-5 years. If you are always taking care of non important issues you are not spending your time efficiently.

 5) I have created a smaller list of my priorities. All things in your life will fall into 3 categories: rock, sand, or water. When you are filling a jar with rocks, sand, and water you are going to want to place your rocks first, sand second, and water last. That is how you will spend your time most efficiently and get the most use out of the "jar" (your day). For example if you filled your day or the jar with water first you will not have room for anything else. My rocks are the personal daily habits I hold myself to, my quality time with my kids and spouse, and time spent working on my faith. The habits that fall into the sand category are chores, exercise, and work. Whats left in the water category is hobbies, social activities, and errands. If you value your time and spend it more efficiently you will move closer to your goals.

6) I have also created myself a hustle chart in excel and printed it out to hang on my walls. I have broken down within the week how much time you need for allotted activities. As you can see my hygiene allows for 15 minutes a day, this might seem ridiculous to some. If you feel you need to spend more time on your hygiene that's great! That is why there is a self category that allows an hour a day. So technically you have an hour and 15 minutes everyday to do all those things you do that get you ready for the day. On this chart I have a category for hustling... hustling is whatever you want to define it as. This is different for everyone. For me this is going out and adding value to people and letting them know what's available. That might not make sense to you but it doesn't have to. This chart is personalized to myself and everyone's chart SHOULD be different. Some people work 70-80 hour works weeks. To each their own.

7) My daily personal growth habits include things that all successful millionaire's do daily. I read, I keep in contact with my mentors, I listen to audios from people who have the results I want. I've also created spare time in my week to "hustle" and move forward in my business venture. Everyone's daily personal growth habits can be different. I just know that where you'll be in the next 5 years will be dependent upon the top 5 people you associate with and the books you read.

8) I am also an avid goal setter. I set daily goals, I set weekly goals, I set monthly goals, and I set yearly goals. I have goals for ten years down the road. People who sets goals reach them. So not only have I set goals I follow my daily personal habits, which are going to help me reach those goals. On top of creating goals I also keep track of my performance in reaching those goals.



Thank you for reading :)

I know that 8 is an odd number and there are a lot more things I actually do to move towards success but these are honestly right now the ones that are pushing me forward.

Graduation & Self Reflection

Hello all,

I hope that the days have been treating you kindly as we all embark on our summer. I hope there are many splash parks, lakes, and chances to swim in your summer schedule. Here in Saskatoon there has been a smokey haze due to the numerous forest fires in the province. My heart goes out to those affected by the fires. I pray for your safety and high spirits.

This past weekend I was able to travel to my hometown and be a part of  a very special graduation. I was able to take grad pictures for the younger sister of one of my very best friends. This family has been in my life for the better part of a decade and I am extremely grateful to have had them all in my life. So as you can imagine the young woman I saw before me was about to embark on her own adult journey. My memories have kept her encapsulated as a child. I met her when she was around the age of 6 so I forever see her as that young girl. It didn't help that I moved away from my small home town and barely came back to visit. So when I realized she was graduating this year I jumped on the opportunity to be a part of the memory with her.

Entering my high school for the first time in nearly 6 years was very surreal. I was nervous, my palms were sweaty, it was the silliest thing. I guess it could be due to the fact that my closing statement to my High School career was that "The world needs saving so I'm going to be a hero". Here I was entering my High School having felt like I haven't quite met the standard I had held myself to. I felt like I should have done more, accomplished more. Yet really anyone I did happen to run in to was just glad to see me. There was no expectation that I should have saved the world already. People I happened to graduate with didn't even remember my closing statement let alone their own. Regardless I know I am on the right path and the vision I left High School with is still alive and well. It was a great experience to step foot back in that building. Like a silent motivator a building that remained even when I had gone through so much in the last 5 years.

I would like to share a photo I had taken of Jaylynn and it truly represents so much more to me than just a picture of a young woman who's accomplished graduation. It represents a coming of age and a reflection of how I felt of my graduation. So much ahead of me yet so unsure of how to truly grasp everything I want in life. Much like the smokey fog that has blanketed our province the past couple days that is what graduation feels like. My advice, if you care to hear it. Think of the biggest thing you'd like to bring to this world. What you would like people to think of you when you have left this world. How you would like to change this world for the better. Then create a plan. That is what I have done and I'm a year or two away from 'saving the world'. Of course it's one step at a time, one life at a time.


Congratulations Jaylynn, you have such a beautiful road ahead of you!

I am whatever I say I am

Happy Wednesday everyone.
I hope that you have a beautiful Woman to inspire you today. The hashtag of today is commonly #womancrushwednesday.

So something happened to me this morning that kind of caused me to take a step back and realize a few things. The story starts with the fact that I recently found out I could receive funded counseling, because I had grandparents who attended residential school. So this is something that I found very exciting. I think counseling is very important, but more than that I really see the value in free stuff. Not that this is a material object I can bring home and forget about later. I feel this is something I can internalize and carry with me always. So of course I got in contact with the woman running the program essentially. We scheduled an appointment she then asked me about my treaty card. I told her that I can apply and receive status, but I am currently non-status. She was understanding, but she let me know that they may not approve my counseling, because of this.

This is where the problem starts. I was not born with treaty status. My grandmother married a 'white' man and lost her status when she did. She did regain her status later on. My mother is what they call Bill C-31. My father is also a 'white' man, which is questionable seeing as his father was adopted. Regardless the situation brings me to my point. I have struggled my whole entire life with aboriginal identity issues. I've been reading books lately and facing challenges that have made this more apparent to me.

I spent many of my years on a reserve. I was raised by and around my maternal family. So I am completely out of touch with the 'white' part of my heritage. On top of this I do have a paler skin tone and my eyes are hazel. My cousins do not resemble me in skin tone or eye color. So as you can imagine I always felt out of place. Like I didn't belong in the community. I felt as if I wasn't 'native' enough to be considered aboriginal. I struggled a lot with the idea that I was only a quarter native. I was diluted. Now that I am an adult and I've forced myself to reflect on the subject further I want to change the way I perceive myself.

I know what I believe and that is that status does not define who I am. Whether or not I am treaty does not change the fact that the grandfather I remember most fondly was my great grandfather. He was Cree and 100% aboriginal, with no dilution. I've always been fiercely proud of being related to him. Although now that I am older I am realizing before I was born he had made many mistakes and was as flawed as the rest of us. I love him the same. Doesn't change who he was to me. He would sit me on his lap when I was little and ask me to speak 1-10 in Cree for him. I always made mistakes. He always helped me. Now I know my Cree numbers by heart. Sadly I know very little more of the language and it saddens me.

This brings me to my overall point. Regardless of if I have status or not. The point of the free counseling is to help those who were affected negatively by the wrong doings in residential schools. A lack of status does not change the fact that I did have grandparents who attended those schools. I am just as in need as someone with a card. Furthermore I refuse to let a 'card' define my native status. I am aboriginal. I don't know my language. I have never attended a sweat. I am not as educated about my heritage both 'white' and 'native as I'd like to be. It does not change the fact that I am native.

I have struggled much to long internally with who I ought to be. I owe my definition to know one. Anyone's definition of the legitimacy of my ethnicity is irrelevant. We all struggle enough within ourselves that I definitely don't need the opinion of someone else. I am not denying that 3/4 of my actual bloodline is questionably the most 'white' heritage you can come across. One step at a time, I was raised in and around the culture of my maternal family. I'll start there and pick up the pieces as I move forward.


I am an aboriginal woman.
I stand for values
I am beautifully flawed.

Start the week off with a bang!

Monday it is,

I am determined to start this week of right. I fear that I might have to ask my conscious mind to join me repeatedly. I've got so much accomplished in the last couple weeks. Now that I am  now slowed down just enough to take in my surroundings. Fear is starting to settle in. Can I accomplish what I want? Will people like me? There's a calm and it's unnerving. I must keep myself busy so as to conquer those lingering negative tones of thinking. I am awesome and I can do this. I must hold on to hope. I must keep myself full of positive reinforcement.

I know better than to let the mean girl inside of my head have a voice louder than my dreams. I will keep pushing forward. I mustn't slow down, because I know what happens when you slow down. You lose momentum. I've got myself a daily schedule of things to do within my home and with my respected business's. I keep myself to a strict five activities per day. This makes sure I stay on task and don't wander into the abyss of cleaning dirt out of the corners of only God knows where.



I've started my  photography company, paid for my license and everything. I am the proud owner of Axis Imagery. Axis was a name I made up when I tried my hand at making a couple raps. This might be something I'd like to pursue on a hobby type level. I'm more into the idea of spoken word poetry, but I digress. I created my watermark, I enjoyed being able to get in touch with my creative side for that one. Thanks to some friends who were visiting and giving me some feedback. My website is up and running: axisimagery.biz . There are a few things I would like to tweak and a lot more pictures I would like to add, but it serves its purposes. I got my business cards in for both my online store, and my photography company. I know, I know some people believe business cards are a dying art. I refuse to believe so. They are a very much accredited tool to spread the word about yourself. I've taken pictures in grad/ senior style for the upcoming graduation season. I'm excited for that.

I've also signed a three month probationary contract with my friends company SheNative So far I believe I've gone above and beyond her expectations. I much enjoy the work I do for her company because I really value the mission her company serves. She wants to shed a more positive perspective on the thoughts surrounding aboriginal women. So I am the Social Media & Promotions Trailblazer. Neat name right? We wanted something a little different. She's labeled her position as Chief Changemaker. She wants to donate portions of the sales of her products to worthy causes. All of her products are produced in Canada (minus the totebags she utilized American Apparel to make). So far her products include: the bucket bag, the clutch, t-shirts, tanks, tea mugs, earrings, and the before mentioned tote bags. I am proud to represent her product. The bags are made of beautiful buffalo and cow leather. The newer t-shirts are made out of a tri-blend bamboo and are extremely comfortable and soft. I've heard many a testimony to using the t shirts for yoga. My words just don't do the beauty of the products justice so if you are curious please check out the link above.

So that ladies and gentlemen is what I've been up to. What have you been up to? Are you like me and you've accomplished so much lately, but still feel there is more that you could do?

So I will end on this note with this mantra I've gifted myself with.

I am enough. I do enough everyday.