Welcome to a new edition of Carol's Corner. Finally finding some time to put something together. Sorry it took so long. Hope the wait will be worth it. So this was the ensemble I wore for my Republican Women's Club Spring Hat Luncheon and sorry I don't do hats, so the rest of the finery will have to do. I felt like a million bucks in this. Everything about this screams, “Carol's” in so many ways: from the style of the dress, to the bold color's and print, right down to the jewelry and the sparkly shoes. Angela Martinez aptly named this, “Be Always Blooming”. Love that!

I chose the statement necklace and matching earrings which were a deep shade of purple edged in gold. It picked up one of the colors that was present in the dress. And then I opted for this beautiful gold filigree and rhinestone bracelet that actually houses my exercise tracker. My ring is one hubby bought me many moons ago and is a deep Amythyst with Opals on each side, set in real gold. It's always been a favorite of mine and seemed the perfect choice for this ensemble.

This goldtone watch my mom gave me is my go to watch when I need something gold and it fits my wrist so well. My newest manicure was perfection with this dress My amazing nail tech said this was a new color and I was the first person she used it on. Loved putting this whole look together.

This quote by Lucille Ball is kind of what I am basing this issue of Carol's Corner on. Stop and really think about this for a minute. How can you accomplish anything in this life if you don't first learn to love yourself? And it's not a selfish act at all, for when you learn to love yourself you are far more equipped to love others. This journey we all find ourselves on will never find success if we don't believe in ourself first, and that means learning to love every part of ourselves. It takes loving ones self to make the decision to go on this journey in the first place. You had to decide you were important enough to put yourself first and not last. When you love yourself enough to take that first step, things will begin to change for you and like it says above, things will start to fall in line. That's not to say that we will never have setbacks or that things won't be hard sometimes, because most probably both will be true, but we will care enough about ourselves to never ever give up, no matter how many times we fall along the way or how far off the reservation we find ourselves. Have you started the process of learning to love yourself? If you haven't it's time you did. It can make a world of difference in so many ways!

Love, love, love this!!! Is today going to be the day you start working down this list? And as you see, it starts first with loving yourself. If you start with that, many of these will naturally follow or will make it easier for you to start doing all of things listed above. Do you respect yourself? When you do, you will want to take care of your body, mind and spirit. When all three work together, you have the highest chance of success in all aspects of your life. Have you ever thought to admire yourself? Or do you think that is some sort of vanity? I think not. If you stop to try and pinpoint the traits in yourself that you most admire it will show you what your strong points are, and in turn help you all along the way,to better navigate your own unique path to better health and happiness. The next one is a biggie and one that people seem to have the hardest time with. You need to remember that we are not perfect people. It's all right to make mistakes, it's all right to struggle with our diet and exercise programs. When we find ourselves falling short in some area of our life we need to learn to forgive ourselves. We need to realize that all of it is just a part of life and a part of our journey. Forgive yourself and move on to bigger and better things. You will never be sorry that you did. Because if you don't you will just be stuck and unable to move forward. Then we come to acceptance. Accept yourself. I would say own who you are and be proud of that person, the new person you're becoming as you make your way on this journey. You are awesome, you are fierce, remember that always. Now that you've gone through the list it's time you concentrated on you. That means nurturing yourself. Do things for you that make you feel good, things that make you feel happy. Pamper yourself for a change. Do something for yourself that you've always wanted to do, but never got around to. You deserve it. It will help you to regroup and refocus on your goals.

 

 

 

 

I'd like to leave you with this to ponder. Are you loving yourself, are you owning your story? You can be as brave as you desire to be, so step out on that limb and go for it! It just might change your life! Just a little footnote; I thought long and hard on a topic to pursue and this is what God laid on my heart. I hope it touches you and inspires you. If it does I would love to hear from you. As always God Bless!