Hello Monday: Stand Up & Shine Challenge

HELLO Monday & hello friends! I am feeling all sorts of GREAT and wanted to share it with each of you too! I’m a generally positive person, try to always keep a smile on my face, and don’t see the point in choosing anything but happiness. Even still, I joined the Stand Up & Shine Challenge with Ashley from The Shine Project last week to find even more inspiration & guidance for thriving in my life. I didn’t think I necessarily needed this challenge but I’m always looking for ways to work on being a better person and was so very HAPPY to join in.

Oh my word how wrong I was! Guys, I NEEDED that challenge and didn’t even know it! That is not to say I am or was unhappy, but rather I just hadn’t realized how much more I was still missing out on. So I wanted to share a little about what the challenge consisted of each day here with all of you. While the challenge is over I’d be happy to pass along the emails with the content so you could participate on your own as well (email me at OurHomeWithHounds@gmail.com). Or even just browse #StandUpAndShineChallenge on Instagram for some of the amazingness!

Monday – Yes, you can! This challenge was all about self doubt and the lies we believe about ourselves. As I worked through the questions of the challenge I was feeling like I didn’t really have things many negative things, because honestly I do try not to fall into the spiral of comparing myself to others. But then HOLY CRAP it hit me, some of the things that I’m holding myself back on due to fears or worry. It felt good to process those roadblocks and tell myself…YES, I CAN AND I WILL!

Tuesday – Fill Your Cracks with Light! This day focused on the brokenness we all feel and ways in which we try to fill the void.  We worked through some ways to fill the cracks in our hearts with light instead! With an example challenge being every time we wanted to reach to social media throughout the day we should do something positive instead. Like sending a cheery text, writing a note to someone, actually call someone you’ve been meaning to call, go for a walk, read a book, journal, spend more time with family. This day was a happy day for sure! 🙂

Wednesday – Recognize Your Power! Ashley talked about how only we have the control over our own power, we’ve just gotta take control over it and know how to use it. Each of our powers is to use the good inside of each of us to light up the world with good, with love, with hope. I’ve more recently learned that I literally have my own power over my life, no one can hurt me if I don’t let them, can’t make me mad, or angry, even happy – its all my power and choice to allow those outside things. When you light the world it acts as a beacon for other to find and then they too can find the courage to light theirs as well. This was a powerful one for me!

Thursday – Help Them Shine! After we learned how to shine ourselves next up was helping others to shine too. The way you live your life can help guide others to want to follow suit. Showing kindness, supporting businesses you believe in, serving others in many forms – all allow you to shine and can let others shine on their own at the same time. For me this day was a good reminder of how even the little things we do can have an impact that snowballs – just like a smile, if I give a smile to someone they might be encouraged to do the same for someone else and now my smile has expanded all over town, county, state, etc. Ashley said this that really stood out to me: “I believe success comes from not just making it to the top, but from pulling others up right along side of us along our journey.”

Friday – We were challenged to write ourselves a letter to open a year from now. Encouraging ourselves as well as detailing out what we’ve learned through the challenge. We could either share our letters on Instagram or just share what our biggest take away was from the week. For me that was that the time is now to start working on yourself, there will always be an excuse or something that will try to bring you down but you don’t have to let it.

I HIGHLY recommend following Ashley on Insta (@TheShineProject) or browsing her website too, I promise it will change you!