Beautified Blog

Shinning bright this week on the Beautified Spotlight is Founder Jennifer McKay Newton! She shares the spiritual, in-depth, purpose behind DefineMe Fragrance..."We are not just a Fragrance...we are a Movement!"

2016 is coming to an end and 2017 is an opportunity to reassess and start fresh. It seems that 2016 was a rough year for many people, which means that 2017 is an opportunity to shine bright! Looking back at everything you have overcome this past year, how can you not feel like a bad ass and so ready to take on 2017.

We are so excited to have Danika in our beautified spotlight! She is an expert in positive transformation + it all started with herself!

Friends
I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity especially when it comes to friendships. It takes time + effort but it is SO worth it!

Love 
Whether it comes to you in the form of a partner, a child or even a pet. It's truly what everything's about.

Beauty
It's everywhere when you take the time to notice.

Freedom
We're so fortunate to live in a place where we can pursue our dreams + passions.

Purpose
Life's best motivator.

I LOVE Fall! I love when the weather starts to get cooler and the leaves start to change color. I so enjoy pulling out last years sweaters, jackets, scarves and boots that have been tucked away in my closet for months! I see it as sort of another Spring...a good time to change things out, get rid of the old and bring in the new! It's such a good time to ask for that raise or move to that new place you've been lusting after. What do we have to lose?

This morning Dawn Gluskin author of Type A Zen posted this on her Instagram page...I thought it was so great that I wanted to share it with you all. Dawn approved of course! xx

In my daily meditation, I usually download a specific message, or theme, or reminder. This morning's thoughts kept going to compassion. Of course, we understand the concept of compassion towards others. Albeit not always easy to engage, it's the skill of being able to feel empathy for another, despite any perceived wrong-doings, unkind, illogical, or hurtful actions. It's understanding that they are human and, at some level, doing the best they know how. It's empathizing with them because they may be struggling in some way. It's lifting them up in thoughts and wishing the best for them. While not always easy, developing this skill is incredibly freeing. It allows us to not take things personally, to find acceptance in others, to not be weighed down by hard feelings and to live a lighter, more joyful life. And, as a bonus, we are sending well wishes to those who need it most, lifting them with our energy, and contributing to making the world a lighter place. Achieving this level of compassion towards others is not easy, but a beautiful thing to strive for.

But, to take things to an even different level, this morning's epiphany was: How often do we show this level of deep compassion towards ourselves? Do we give our own selves a break? Do we let ourselves off the hook saying, " I did the very best I could & that is totally good enough". I know I don't always do this. I realize that I often hold myself up to a higher standard than expected of others. Perhaps you can relate? But aren't we equally deserving of our own compassion? It's realizing that we too are human and letting go of a mistakes. It's giving ourselves credit for doing the best we can & realizing that everything is in divine order. It's freeing. It's liberating. It's empowering. And, finding the deepest levels of compassion for ourselves also allows us to love others even more deeply. So, my goal is to find even deeper levels of compassion for self & others. To love even more fully - inwards & outwards. Perhaps you will join me?

We all have our routines, which usually include work, home, family, friends, etc...but when is the last time you stepped outside of all you know and did something really sort of "uncomfortable"?

Recently, I participated in the Spring Unique LA Market, which is a market place where I have a booth and I sell directly to the public, which I love and its awesome! Before every show we attend a vendor meeting where they go over the details about the set up, show hours, rules etc... This year one of the things Sonja Rasula (Unique founder, girl entrepreneur extraordinaire) mentioned is they have a Unique Camp and she invited all the vendors to attend. The Unique Camp is  in Big Bear, California...they hold  business classes taught by professionals but the coolest thing about it is, it's camp! It's based around fun activities and it's run like an overnight " hi I'm 12 again" camp. When we arrived, they confiscated our phones (WHAT!), can you say "OFF THE GRID"! They then separate us into cabins with a counselor, mine was Margeurite, a lovely actress and speech coach seven plus months pregnant. What a trooper she was! We bunk with, shower, eat and sleep amongst 11 other perfect strangers. They make it fun by having smores by the camp fire, dancing, cocktail hour, games and having us dress up like our favorite emogis for the dance party. Picture a bunch of happy faces, vegetables and furry animals dancing to Queen!

It was humbling, a blast, inspiring and cool. This biggest challenge for me though, wasn't being off the grid, I actually got used to that quite quickly...it was not knowing one single person and living with 11 other women who were complete strangers. I would tell myself, "you've got this", I had to walk up to people and say, "hi I'm Jennifer, what brings you here"?  I don't remember the last time I felt that sort of nervous rush, like the first day of a new school. The only one I had was me...and how would I now , as an adult, a wife and a mom handle this situation? I remember so many times telling my kids, "just be yourself and people will like you"...easier said than done, right?. I'm humbled and I'm proud of myself, even though there were moments where I wish I could have clicked my heals and gone back home to my family, to people who know and love me, a place where I'm comfortable. The cool thing is I stayed and I participated in everything I could. I started conversations with people in the coffee line, people in my classes, people that I passed by. The result was I met some really great people, made new friends and connections and most of all I learned that I could survive out of my comfort zone! Woohoo!

The photo below was taken the last night, they serenaded us to dinner through the majestic woods to rows of long beautifully dressed candle lit tables. I'm near the front with the white sweater, scarf and ripped jeans.

I highly recommend every once in awhile getting out of your comfort zone, whether that means traveling somewhere new, speaking in front of an audience, going to a movie alone...whatever it is...it keeps you humble and reminds you of your resilience.

Inspiration can be a beautiful thing. It can take you from the depths of sadness to the joyfulness that hope brings to the soul. With that in mind, we wanted to share some tried and tested ways to inspire not only yourself, but those around you. By consciously choosing to inspire others, you can have a great effect on your community.

1. Self-Improvement: People often try to change others before changing themselves. This can be a mistake, as the first step towards change must be with yourself. Therefore, if you want someone to start doing something, set an example and start doing it yourself! Your actions will definitely rub off on those around you.
2. Listen: It's hard to inspire others when you aren't listening to what they're saying. Be sure to listen to what people are telling you if you want to help them in any way. In fact, sometimes listening alone can be a huge help to people. Most of the time people just want a sympathetic ear, someone that will listen to what they're going through. A kind word of encouragement can inspire others to take control of the problems in their lives.
3. Share Knowledge: A great way to inspire others is to share knowledge with them. As the old saying goes, knowledge truly is power, and when you increase someones knowledge you are definitely giving them inspiration and tools to improve their lives. Great leaders know this, and consistently share their powerful insights with those that listen.
4. Compliments: Remarking on how great someone is doing or how talented they are in a certain area is a great way to inspire them to reach their potential. Many people have issues with self-confidence and that in itself can hold them back from doing the great things they are capable of accomplishing. By reminding someone how great they really are, you can empower and inspire them to reach their dreams
5. Positive Energy: Nothing is more powerful than bringing positive energy into a room. Energy can change the dynamics of any situation! By bringing a smile and a positive attitude with you, you can inspire other people to be happy and positive too. Once they assume this attitude, they will be more likely to succeed and do well at whatever they are interested in.

So in conclusion, there are many ways to inspire the people around you. Set a good example and bring positivity into any situation. Keep increasing your knowledge and share helpful information that could inspire other people to improve their lives. Encourage others by believing in them and pointing out their gifts and strengths. It's amazing how much of an effect this can have on the lives of other people.

And of course, pay attention to the needs and concerns of those around you so they know that someone cares about them. If you do all of the above, you will DEFINITELY make a difference and inspire many many people. Enjoy making a difference in your community and go inspire someone today!

Remove obstacles and start realizing your full potential

We recently found a great blog from http://www.cornerstonedynamics.com/top-5-obstacles-to-self-empowerment/

Check it out below!

Self-empowerment…we all want it but do we know how to get it? Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to know what you don’t want, or in this case, to understand what stops you from achieving empowerment.  Self-empowerment is removing the obstacles that prevent us from realizing our potential.  These obstacles/barriers can prevent us from being all we can be. There are many factors that can keep us from achieving our goals. It could be practical things like shortage of money, education or training. Or one’s that other people put up for us; like a parent that steers you away from your dreams and into the career they recommend. But the most difficult barrier for us to penetrate are the ones we construct ourselves.  In my pocket/e-book, Opening the Doors of Empowerment I outline the top 5 barriers we put in our own path. I share them with you to help you avoid them and to allow you to change your habits, resulting in you reaching your true potential.

Barrier #1: Lack of Vision - A clear guiding vision is the strongest tool for empowerment. Without it, it’s easy to put far too much effort into activities that don’t contribute to your progress. The result is wasted time, money and energy.

Barrier #2: Fear - The hardest fears to overcome are the ones we create. We can be our own worst enemy. Fear can stop people from moving forward and when this happens you are immediately disempowered. Learning how to let go of fear is critical for personal empowerment.

Barrier #3: Impatience - Patience is needed to watch ideas grow and to see what needs to be tweaked in order to become successful.  We live in a world of immediate gratification but this can lead to a feeling of emptiness. Sometimes waiting for the right thing to come around, vs the first thing to come around, will give us the greatest satisfaction and truly address our desires and needs.

Barrier #4: Perfectionism- The perfectionist may delay opening the door of opportunity in front of them until they are absolutely certain they can do it perfectly, resulting in missed opportunities. Similar to barrier #3, perfectionism is on the opposite scale of impatience. Finding the right balance between them is critical to moving forward in life and being empowered.

Barrier #5: Workload- A spiralling workload disempowers everyone it touches, at home and work.  Sometimes we feel like we’re on the hamster wheel of life…constantly busy but not really going anywhere. Becoming empowered is to stop this cycle and to ensure every action has purpose.

Like any game, the rules may be simple enough; but to remove the barriers takes discipline and commitment. The key to sustaining the removal of a barrier is to do it consistently and repeatedly. Empowering yourself isn’t something you do only once. Empowerment is a process of continual improvement. So take the first step, look at yourself, remove your barriers and become EMPOWERED!