Speak Now

Perspective Really is Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:18:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed famous people in the magazines who have all the money, prestige, etc. but still seem to be miserable? Conversely, have you met other people who have almost nothing, but seem to be so happy that it spills over onto the people they interact with? Have you ever wondered why are the pretty and rich people miserable and the poorer people are so happy that they radiate their joy?

I have noticed these things and I have witnessed this phenomena in people directly. I have an aunt who by all standards has every right to be miserable, but she chooses to be one of the most upbeat, joyous people I know. Her happiness is contagious, and everyone loves her for it. I had a friend who lived happy everyday—regardless of the circumstances—even during the last stages of her cancer.

Every morning you wake up, you have a choice. You can choose to look at the circumstances around you and allow them—good or bad—to determine whether you are going to be happy that day OR you can choose to look at a vision of the person you want to be regardless of circumstances and be that person today. Don’t think about tomorrow or next week, or next month; just look at today; decide who you want to be today—and decide to be happy.

Hugs,

Kim

5 Ways to Appreciate You

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:52:00 +0000

{this photo was from my high school graduation several years ago. My parents helping appreciate me}

Graduations are either just beginning, or just ending, depending on where you live, but in Knoxville, TN they are just coming to a close. At all of the graduation festivities one of the more popular conversations I’ve heard are people talking about “what’s next?” Now that you just accomplished something remarkable everyone is already trying to figure out what is the next outstanding adventure you will begin. One of my friends remarked, “I can’t even celebrate finishing 13 years of school before people start jumping down my throat about the rest of my life.” And it dawned on me, that she was right. We don’t take enough time to recognize people’s achievements. We all just continually ask what MORE are you going to do?

So whether you are just finishing a major milestone in your life; or you are just counting down the days to summer so you can check off one more year of schooling; or maybe you’re out of school and the days are beginning to run together… Here are 5 Ways to Appreciate Yourself and Your Achievements.

{1} Stop running around and take 15 minutes to do something YOU WANT to do. And don’t feel guiltyabout it. Maybe it’s going on a walk with a friend (or furry friend) or it’s reading a magazine or a good non-school related book. But take a few minutes for yourself.

{2} Find a way to commemorate your accomplishment. Whether that is framing a photo from this event, or if there hasn’t been a major milestone lately, find a way to commemorate the hard work you are doing right now to reach that milestone. Maybe you put you're A+ exam on the fridge at home, or if you have a full time job you go out to dinner to celebrate your hard work!

{3} Make a list of 5 things you are proud of yourself for. Everyone can do this no matter the season of life they are in! I am confident that we are all beautiful, talented, and successful women with plenty of things to be proud of.

{4} Take the time to appreciate the people who have helped you reach your goals. Send a thank you card or give a small gift as an appreciation for their hard work. Without them you wouldn’t be where you are. When we take time to appreciate others we are recognizing our successes just as much as theirs.

{5} Lastly, spend some time focusing on your life as a whole. Not just this moment of excitement, or this milestone, or the middle of this journey that you are in. But look back on all of the successes you’ve had so far and realize that you are blessed! That everyone has something to be proud of and ways they’ve succeeded. Sometimes we need to look back and see everything to really remember how wonderful we really are!

Cheers!

Sarah Moog

Meet the author > >

Which Way Do You Lean?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:40:00 +0000

In the movie, "The Lorax", the Lorax makes a comment to Ted saying, "Which way does a tree fall? Where it leans. So, be careful where you lean."

That piece of advice pierced my heart. As I observe people carry out their lives, I see this advice unfold to be true. People's lives tend to be a collection of daily habits and routines--the way we lean. So when something major happens to impact peoples' lives it probably has something to do with the way they lean.

We recently had a couple that we have known for years end up separating after almost 30 years of marriage. Someone commented that they were surprised. My response was, "Oh, I'm not. I have seen that coming for years." Because of the way the couple's habits, daily interactions, and the unintentional pieces of their relationship - they way they leaned in life- I could see where their marriage was going to fall.

But the opposite is true as well, you can tell by the way a person acts if they will be successful in their goals. A student who studies constantly, stays on top of homework, doesn't cheat, and tries their best, is most likely going to go far in their academic career. It's the way they lean.

So ask yourself, where do you want your life to end up? Then, do everything you can to lean in that direction with your habits and daily routines; so that the accumulation of those habits and routines will get you closer to where you want your life to fall.

Hugs,

Kim Moog

Caring For Our Bodies {Part 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:49:00 +0000

To jump back to our regular schedule of blog posts, after the fantastic Link Up that took place last week, I felt it was important to post about something we can all relate to. Food.

A couple weeks ago we posted about how to be beautiful we must also be healthy! This means that we have to focus on our health first, and our image second. Feeling healthy is just as important as feeling beautiful; and fortunately the healthier we are the more beautiful we are! We last talked about the importance of being active. To read about some ideas on how to be active, check out that post here. But this week we are going to talk about our diets.

Now eating is a sensitive topic—Especially for women--but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it. I think food is one of the best things on earth; but I am fully aware that for some, it might in fact be their worst enemy. So today I want to focus on having a healthy, and happy relationship with food.

If you are someone who struggles with a diet, whether that be too much or too little, I want you to know that you are not alone. If you are someone that fears food; or hates it; or can’t get enough; you aren’t alone either. In fact… this is one of the MAJOR topics we discussed in our Link Up. I strongly encourage you to go and read all about what our lady bloggers said. This is such a major issue; and as women, we are standing together to talk about it!! But even after the link up there are still things to discuss...

You need to be eating correct portion sizes and to be eating the right amounts of food. Too much OR too little, can harm your body and make you unhealthy. There are many ways to make sure you are getting the perfect amount for your body. There are charts, scales, measurements, and more. One of the easiest ways is to use the size of your fist as a portion size for meats & the size of two fists for vegetables. Take the time to make sure that your body is getting everything it needs

Make sure you are eating the right types of food. I am ALL about cheesecake, lava cake, potato chips, and buttery popcorn, and there is plenty of room in a healthy diet for treats such as these. But there is a bigger portion of your diet that needs to be filled with delicious fruits, vegetables, and the proteins (whether that’s meat or nuts depending on your lifestyle). You need to be watching what you eat and how much! There are food guides, meal planners, and more to make sure you are eating from all of the essential food groups.

Lastly, you need to make sure you are happy about your food choices. Ladies, this is the most important part!! It is necessary for you to take the time to find out what makes your mouth water, what makes you look forward to meals instead of dreading them, and how can you cook or eat out to enjoy your meals. As my own personal piece of advice, grab a friend and a new recipe, turn on some awesome music and have a great night just cooking away!

But be smart, aware, excited, and happy about your diet. Because that is what health is all about!!

Bon appetite!

Meet the author >>

Dreamers + Lovers + Doers Unite

noreply@blogger.com (Speak Now) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:17:00 +0000

I'm Ellie, a regular around these parts.

This little corner of the internet, is my creation. Alongside some of the best + brightest, this movement is my village.

The Speak Now organization is geared towards the empowerment of women internationally.

I would like to take a moment to welcome all of the new Speak Now friends who are likely here from yesterday's link up + giveaway.

{Pssst...If you've haven't linked up, you're not going to want to miss the biggest online event in Speak Now history. Click here!}

After my faith, family, and sister-friends....

Speak Now is a close first priority.

Me deep rooted belief in other's worth stems from my inability to find my own worth for most of my preteen years.

It's hard to believe but next year- I head to college and those years are long since forgotten.

Today, I want to share my belief in your worth.

Today, I want to invite you to join my community.

It is my hope that you have a passion for the empowerment of women.

Perhaps a passion for the empowerment of yourself, a sister, a friend, a daughter.

Whatever it may be- the Speak Now team needs help to spread our purpose.

It's Speak Now time + we need you.

| Ready | Set | Speak

Take a button, dear one. Leave us a sweet comment letting us know you have.

<br /><a href="http://www.wespeaknow.org" target="_blank"></a><br />

Follow us on our social media handles. Leave a comment letting us know you have or that you do.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Join our team directly | click here

sponsor with us //

I AM BEAUTIFUL LINK UP, giveaway, + surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Speak Now) — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Happy May Speak Now friends, both new and old!

Today is an exciting day for Speak Now

Today, some fabulous ladies have teamed up to link up and tell you that you're beautiful.

Speak Now is all about beauty from the inside out.

We believe in your dreams + passions. We believe in you.

Today we want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're beautiful.

Identify what makes you feel beautiful. Make this feeling an obligation in your life.

Today we are here to remind you that you can do anything.

Today and everyday, you are lovely, you are perfect, you are bold, you are unique.

Today and every day- you are beautiful!

Speak Now is a women empowerment organization

built around the philosophy that self-love, self-respect, + self-confidence will make you beautiful.

We empower. We create. We educate. We inspire.

Link your blog up to connect with other bloggers who believe in the empowerment of women and help us spread awareness about the importance of women empowerment!

Once you link up, no community experience would be complete without a little welcome gift!
We are giving away a $100 visa gift card and any piece of beautiful jewelry from the Speak Now shop!

So link up, enter our giveaway, take a look at some of our blogging friends, and share our mission with your friends, family, and fellow blogging community.

We are an online community designed to believe in you.

Today, we want you to join our movement.

_________________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY

& win a $100 visa gift card and a custom jewelry piece from our jewelry store

MANDATORY TO ENTER:

****MUST FOLLOW SPEAK NOW ON EITHER FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR INSTAGRAM TO ENTER*****

*****MUST LINK UP BLOG BELOW TO ENTER*****

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
+1 for each // Follow Speak Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - COMMENT FOR EACH+ 1 for each // Follow via GFC, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for any of our co-hosts - COMMENT FOR EACH+ 1 // Share Speak Now's I AM BEAUTIFUL May link up with your FB or twitter friends - COMMENT FOR EACH+1 // Spreading the word via status/tweet/instagram post- COMMENT FOR EACH
COMMENTS ARE OFF ON ALL WEBSITE'S CO-HOSTING THE EVENT SO YOU CAN HEAD ON OVER TO SPEAK NOW'S WEBSITE AND COMMENT TO ENTER!
{ WWW.WESPEAKNOW.ORG }

A very special thanks to Aunie of Aunie Sauce, Casey Wiegand, Keri-Anne Pink, and Salena Lee for sponsoring our link up!

What Courage Looks Like

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:36:00 +0000

Everyone understands what the word courage means, but not everyone carries the same picture of what courage looks like.

For many years, I had a quote taped to my computer that says, “Courage is the small voice that says, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’"

Even as adults, some days are better than others. This past few weeks at work I have been literally dropped into an environment that is totally new to me—surgery rooms to be specific—and expected to perform as if I have done this every day. It is a very overwhelming situation where lives are literally at stake. I am so grateful for the opportunity to prove myself, but it is still very overwhelming.Yesterday was a bad day. I was being yelled at by a surgeon during a surgery with several people watching. Yes, I could have thrown in the towel; quit & said that it was too overwhelming to handle. Instead, I am choosing to be courageous and try to get better tomorrow.

There will be days in life when it seems like everything gets thrown at you all in the same day. Don’t try to fix everything all at once; it will overwhelm you. And remember that today is just one day out of the many you will live. Like Ellie said last week, high school is just a portion of our life. Or this job I am in is just one small chapter in the book my life will write. So cling to the small voice inside you that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”

Hugs,

Kim Moog

SPEAK NOW ANNOUNCES SOMETHING BIG

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:23:00 +0000

We are a women empowerment organization. This spring we are calling upon you to help us empower.

It's time, to raise awareness about an issue that has been going on too long.

Take a look at the facts.

facts and information via

Body image issues, lack of women empowerment, + self-esteem issues go unspoken.

Mothers hold their breath as their daughters grow.

Jean size becomes a measure of success.

Words like regular and average fill our screens and magazine.

Mirrors are avoided.

It's time to Speak Now

Speak Now is on a mission to spread awareness about the inner and outer beauty that every women holds the power to.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

On May 8th, 2013 25 women bloggers are speaking out against women empowerment struggles.

Link Up your blog, spread the word, and tell your community about Speak Now.

Take a button. Spread the word. & get excited for the BIG surprises in store for May 8th

It's an internet event you're not going to want to miss.

We can't wait to hear your voice Speak Now.

today we remind you that high school is short lived...

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:33:00 +0000

I must share something heavy on my heart.

I'll share part of an email with you from one of the girls I mentor through Speak Now...

"I woke up one day and realized that I would never be popular. The tryouts for the popular group closed and I didn't make the cut. Not literally (there weren't any tryouts), but literally they never just opened up their hearts? They can't see through my past mistakes or my outfit choice. They make me feel inferior because I am not that way. Because they have preset notions about my choices and my personality."

Emails like this heart my soul.

The fact that my girls are coming to me from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Canada, the UK.....

Many with the same heart break.

That of not fitting in, is the worst kind of heartbreak.

& so per the request of a dozen or so girls,

let me comfort you with these words:

You are intertwined in what now feels like the most impressionable moments of your lives.

You are fragile, insecure, broken-out, hormonal, scared, naive, and so far from the person that you will one day be.

You are in a chapter of life.

One day you will look back on these moments and your heart will hurt for the people that shut you out.

You will not fill inferior or less adequate than that of a peer because you will have grown to feel the true meaning of adequate.

So for those of you, switching friend groups, not fitting in, getting left out, feeling pressured, being talked about....

Keep your head high.

Look to your heart.

Trust your intuition.

You are beautiful, dear one.

________________________________________________________________________

Calling upon my lady bloggers out there to encourage this girl and others like her who feel lost in the comments below.

+ I wouldn't feel right without ending this post with some MAJOR gratitude for my sister-friends whom have taught me what it's like to love someone through so much. I strongly advise a group of ladies like these babes. Love y'all, lucky to have found my lovelies in high school.

Caring for Our Bodies {Part 1}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:59:00 +0000

It’s officially bikini season. And if you’re anything like me, you dread this time of year. Somehow my day can go from being wonderful to terrible when I get on Instagram on see everyone’s Spring Break pictures and all I can think about is how amazing everyone else looks in a bikini, except for me. But then it dawned on me… Every girl thinks that everyone else looks great and they don’t. So doesn’t that just mean we all look great?!?!

We have to learn how to focus on how HEALTHY we feel rather than how beautiful we feel. Because with health, comes beauty. If you skip the vital step of focusing on your health your view of beauty will become distorted and therefore unobtainable. And we all know at the end of the day, if we don’t believe we are beautiful we won’t feel it.

So for the next couple of posts I will be discussing what it means to be healthy. The first aspect is your activity. I hope you are taking advantage of this great weather and are getting outside. I am a lover of the outdoors and for activities that keep me outside. So I am going to challenge all of us to get active and outside this week!

Now that might scare a ton of us, because you may be like me and not exactly athletic, but not to fear: we are in this together!! Anyone that knows me personally knows that I am the least athletically skilled gal you’ll ever meet! So all the advice I give today will be manageable by anyone.

This week the challenge is for you to be active OUTSIDE on 3 different days for at least 30 minutes. We aren’t being active to lose weight or to bulk up or to change our bodies. We are simply being active because the benefits of activity for our bodies are endless.Here are a couple of examples of outdoor activies you might try:

{1} throw a frisbee with some friends

{2} take a walk [or jog] around the neighborhood or at a local park [this is an awesome opportunity for some furry friend time if you have a pet]

{3} jump rope. Not the super, intense, way. Learn some new tricks. Get a long jump rope and jump with a friend. Try double dutch like you might have done at recess when you were younger.

{4} ride a bike around a park or your neighborhood [be sure to wear a helmet]

{5} take a swim with some friends in a local pool or pond or in the ocean depending on where you live and the weather

This week I hope you do your best to get outside. Get creative. Learn something new. When you do, tweet us or share it with us on Instagram by tagging @womenspeaknow. Or go ahead and post on our facebook wall. We would LOVE for you to share with us how you are focusing on your health this week.

Meet the author >>

How's Your Heart? {Part 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Last time I asked you, “How’s your heart?” And if you answered that question with, “Why should I care how my heart is?” The short answer is because the healthier your emotional heart is, the happier you can be. Doesn’t the idea of being happier sound appealing? I thought it might.

I also asked you to ask yourself some questions to help you gauge how emotionally healthy your heart is. Most of those questions surround the emotional heart problems of guilt, anger, jealousy, or greed. But the good news is that each of those problems has a cure.

1. The cure for guilt is to, if possible, tell the person you hurt that you are sorry and ask them to forgive you.

2.The cure for anger is to forgive the person who hurt you and let it go—not for his or her sake; but for your sake. (You can do that privately too, it might do you more harm than good to do this publicly to that person.)

3. The cure for greed has two parts. First, you have to recognize that greed is actually a byproduct of a fear of not having enough. Second, you need to recognize that eventually everything you have will belong to someone else anyway. You can either choose who it all goes to by giving it away when you are done with it; or someone else will get to decide who gets it when you are no longer around.

4. The cure for jealousy also has two parts. First, you have to recognize that it is not the other person’s fault that they have something you don’t. Second, sincerely celebrate their successes when they have them. This one act will defuse any jealousy that might be hiding out in your heart.

So, I will ask you again, “So, how’s your heart?” Hopefully, once you have made sure any junk that might have been hiding in there is all cleaned out, you will feel emotionally a little lighter, you will smile and say, “My heart feels great!”

Sincerely,

Kim Moog

How's Your Heart? {Part 1}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:36:00 +0000

So how’s your heart?

I recently heard a friend comment that he thought another man he knows is physically sick because the man hasn’t dealt with some emotional stress he carries around with him. My friend then elaborated, saying that when people are sick emotionally that can make them physically sick too.

Parents ask their kids all the time if they have brushed their teeth, but has anyone ever asked you if you have cleaned your heart out emotionally? Probably not. Me either. Honestly—until he said that—I never thought about cleaning my heart. Once I thought about it, I didn’t have the first clue how to do that; so I did a little homework.

Cleaning out your heart involves cleaning out the junk that gets lodged in it: anger, resentment, guilt, jealousy, greed, etc... So, if you want to make sure your heart is clean emotionally, start asking yourself some questions. Has someone hurt your feelings, even a long time ago that you have never let go of? Are you carrying a grudge towards someone around with you? Is there someone you would secretly be happy to see fail? Did you hurt someone either accidentally or intentionally that you still feel guilty about?

Next time, we will talk about what the cures are for these issues that can get lodged in our heart. That way we can have a clean, healthy emotional heart in addition to a healthy physical heart!

Sincerely,

Kim Moog

Ways to Love Yourself {Part 3}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:48:00 +0000

In our first week, we talked about taking care of your physical body. Last week we talked about giving your life purpose. Finally, this week what may help you the most to believe that you are special is to fully understand that you are a unique person. Doctors and scientists could prove to you that not one other person on this planet has your exact DNA. Not in all of history or the future will there be another YOU.

And it is not enough to read this saying, “Yea, yea,” and move on. This might be one of those things that you do—eliminate the self-criticisms—and say to yourself five times a day until you really start to believe it. Learning to love yourself starts with intention—making a conscious decision to believe in yourself, be happy, and lead a fulfilled life. We all want to make a difference and know that we matter to other people. When you don’t love yourself, it is impossible to ever reach your true potential and see your dreams come true.

So, give these a try... try helping others occasionally or even weekly; take care of yourself physically every single day; and remember that there is only one YOU! I think you will be over-the-moon surprised at how much happier these small changes will help you to be!

Sincerely,

Kim Moog

If you didn't already, go back and check out {Part 1} & {Part 2} of Ways to Love Yourself!

3 Steps to Rejecting the Lies

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:52:00 +0000

So Kim has been talking to us about ways to love yourself, but sometimes loving yourself gets hard. Sometimes the negativity inside of you is so loud that everything else gets drowned out. What do you do then? How do you tell the voices inside of you that they’re wrong?

Well, I am definitely someone who deals with this, and one thing that I do is to remember it’s all a bunch of falsehoods created by others and if I’m honest, even myself. Now I know it’s a lot easier said than done. So I wanted to provide you with 3 Steps to begin with…

{Step 1} Make a list of things that ARE NOT true about yourself. This can be a list of the lies you tell yourself or a list of things you believe others don’t like about you. This part hurts and it damages us, but I promise it becomes redeeming. NOW, I do NOT believe any of these lies are true and you shouldn’t either. That is why they are called LIES!! But in order to move onto step 2 you need to write at least 5 falsehoods down.

{Step 2} The next thing we have to do is make another list. Not of negative lies, but of truthful, positive, facts about ourselves. This list can be made up of things that you love about yourself or things that others have told you they love about you, but to add a plot twist… You have to counteract the 5 falsehoods you previously wrote down. I will give you an example.

A lie about myself: I believe I am too fat.

A truth about myself: I am beautiful, and according to doctors I am perfectly healthy!

A lie about myself: I am not a good enough friend

A truth about myself: I have people that sincerely care about me and desire my presence and friendship. They enjoy time spent with me.

Step 2 is harder than Step 1. It is easy to remember the lies, but it’s hard to remember the truths. And if you don’t believe them this whole exercise was useless. So now comes step 3.

{Step 3} Let it sink in. Place your list of truths somewhere that you will see them regularly. I currently have mine in my car. Read this list to yourself whenever you see it so that it can sink further and further into your heart. Let the truth ring out through you and let yourself believe them!

Much love,

Sarah

Meet the author >>

Ways to Love Yourself {Part 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:04:00 +0000

So, we started this conversation last week with Ways to Love Yourself. I commented that I realized that I needed to take care of myself first in order to be helpful and important to others. But, what if you don’t feel like you are important to anyone? How do you tell yourself that you are? Well, that's hard--but the reality is that you are important. You may be thinking, “You don’t know me… I’m worthless.” But I don't have to know you to be able to tell that you are valuable. Don’t let that sound impersonal…. I KNOW you are valuable because you are alive and there is a reason you are here!! You have to be willing to find what that reason is. Some people turn to faith; others turn to friends and family, some turn to love, or to an organization to find their value. But even if you don’t have any of those things, and even if you don’t want any of those things. You do have something: Life!

Once you accept that you have life and you have the need to put it to good use, everything stems and flourishes from there. You were born for this, for here and for now--uniquely made for something good! There are places and opportunities all around for you to find a purpose. Groups of people just waiting to show you how loved you are!! You can spread your friendship and your love at places like: churches, civic centers, retirement homes, school organizations, and more! These places are always looking for people to love on and for people to love on them. The best way to feel important is to realize that your personality is worth sharing!!

So go somewhere new today, share a smile with a stranger today, and remember that you are SO important and SO loved. Your smile that you share today, may be the best medicine that person receives today! When you share yourself with and help others, they will give you a satisfying happiness in return!

Sincerely,

Kim & Sarah

If you do not feel that you are loved or important please contact the team at Speak Now. We would love to continue this conversation with you. Contact us here: support@wespeaknow.org

If you didn't already, check out {Part 1} here and come back next week for {Part 3}!

Y.O.U.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:22:00 +0000

So what does it mean to be you? Last week, we published Ways to Love Yourself {Part 1}, but one thing you have to do before you even love yourself, is to be yourself. One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein; he said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I think this idea encourages us to realize that every person is different. As girls, we spend all day everyday comparing ourselves to each other. And it’s time we spend sometime just being who WE ARE instead of who everyone else says we should be.

Like Einstein said, if you spend your whole life trying to climb a tree, you’ll never realize you’re an amazing swimmer!! Something that I love about being in college is just the fact that you can do almost ANYTHING you want and people don’t care. If they do mind, they will just say “Oh it’s ok… she is in college.” I can do what I want, wear what I want, and say what I want 95% of the time and it doesn’t matter! Now a lot of us aren’t in college. It’s a small season of life, and for everyone who isn’t in college there are standards we have to follow. We have to dress a specific way, act a specific way, and think a specific way in order to fit in. And I am here, as a fully enveloped college student, to encourage you to not lose your identity in that. Hold on tight to yourself. If you let them, society will strip you of it! So do yourself a favor and wear something original, don’t be afraid to speak your mind, and have the courage to chase after what you love! No matter what it is. Don’t let society and people set your standards.

So last week we told you some ways to love yourself. On this Thursday we will continue that conversation. I wanted to stop and remind you that while loving yourself is important. You need to BE YOURSELF in order to LOVE YOURSELF.

This photo is a picture from a pajama party on vacation with some friends back when I was in 10th grade. I'm in the blue pajama bottoms and blue t-shirt getting my dance on and loving every moment. I hope you will live your life like this photo!! Post a picture on Instagram or Twitter or on our Facebook wall showing us a way you stand out! Tag us and #YOU. Show us what you love, what you wear, and what makes you… Y.O.U!

Meet the author >>

Ways to Love Yourself {Part 1}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000

So, how do you love yourself? Everyone says that we should love ourselves, but no one tells us how. It sounds easier than it really is, but I have a good place to start. First, you have to respect that you are a physical human being. We all understand that we need to feed our dogs, or cats or even our goldfish every day to keep them happy and healthy; but, you have to remember that about yourself too. Learn what your physical body truly needs—food, water, exercise, vitamins, SLEEP—in order to stay healthy and happy; then, commit to making those things a priority in your life every single day.

I was given a great visual reminder of this lesson on an airplane. If you have ever flown on a commercial airline, you know that the stewards will walk you through their emergency procedures. I was a young mom of toddlers flying to the funeral of my older brother, when this particular flight’s emergency procedures hit home with me like a ton of bricks. The stewardess was quite emphatic when she said, “when the air mask drops down in front of you, place yours on yourself first before you try to help anyone else. You can’t help another person, until you take care of yourself first.” So many of us are so busy trying to help other people—our family members or our friends—that we forget to take care of ourselves first so that we truly can help others.

When I got back from that trip, I prioritized taking care of myself physically and committed to running a couple of miles a few times a week. The first thing I noticed wasn’t that I got in better shape physically, although that was true. What I really noticed was how much happier I was. I still see that too. Physical exercise—even something as simple as a 25-minute walk—makes you feel so much better emotionally; and you will be healthier AND happier!

Sincerely,

Kim Moog

Come back next Thursday for Part 2!

Truth or Dare {Spring Addition}

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:54:00 +0000

As a girl, it is easy to tell that spring is almost here. Not by the weather, but by everything else around you. The media bombards us with ads like, “5 weeks to a bikini ready body” or “10 easy tips to get rid of those last stubborn pounds.” If you’re a Pinterest addict, like I am, you can even get caught up in all of the healthy food recipes or smoothie alternatives or exercise charts for better curves that go flying around.

So how do you look in the mirror every day and NOT hate yourself? How do you remember that the models are airbrushed and photo-shopped? As a college girl who is anything but a bikini model, or as a friend who wakes up every morning and deals with self-loathing, or even just as the average-unnoticed girl next door I’m here to walk through this with you.

It all comes down to remembering the truth. I am the only one who gets to decide that I am beautiful. If I believe I am beautiful, I will look it. People will see it in the smile on my face, they will witness it in my confident walk, or they will hear it in my genuine laughter. BUT if I listen to and believe the lies inside of me and around me telling me otherwise, it is obvious. People will see it in my frown, they will read it in my shame, or they will witness my self-hatred.

Everyday you have to CHOSE to believe. Write it on your mirror. Paint it on your wall. Color it into your notebook for school if you have to. The media spends so much money and so much effort trying to convince yourself that you’re ugly because they need you to buy into the lie so you buy into the product. But IT IS A LIE. Believe you’re beautiful. I dare you, I dare you, to believe it for even just a week. And I promise it will make all the difference in the world.

Leave a reminder for yourself, or for someone else, and take a picture. Tweet it, Instagram it, leave it in a comment here, or post it on our Facebook wall with the hashtag #imbeautiful. Show yourself, us, and the world the truth! You. Are. Beautiful!

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>> STAY TUNED

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:37:00 +0000

exciting news coming your way March 3rd. Stay tuned while we establish our online blog community. Stay connected online through Facebook and Twitter in the meantime. xoxoxooxEllie Coburn + Speak Now Team

We Should Say "Thanks" More Often

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:26:00 +0000

I can't stress how important it is for young girls to have an important role model in their life. Having a strong female figure in your life is so vital when growing up. Every girl needs to have someone to shadow for a while; someone to learn from, talk to, cry on, laugh with. Relationships like these help you get through the sticky stuff that seems to be impossible to escape, and once you have that kind of relationship, it's important to let that person know how important they are and grateful you are for them, even if you might not really see it right away.

I know it's a bit cliche, but my mother is really my biggest role model. Why wouldn't she be? She's the woman that carried my fat butt around for nine months and still had the strength to bring me into the world. Although we have our rough patches (I don't know a single mom and daughter who don't), she's still one of my best friends. I'm very thankful to have such an open relationship with my mom. I pretty much tell her everything, from boyfriends to fights with friends and all the ugly stuff in between. Even though it's not always stuff she wants to hear, I know she still appreciates my honesty and is grateful that I am comfortable enough to share so much with her. I've known girls who don't have a very strong relationship with their mothers, and it makes me sad. I see these girls full of insecurities and they trust between them and their parents is harshly broken. It's so important to be able to trust your parents, and for them to trust you.You may break their trust sometimes, I know I have, but I've come to find that the relationship between me and my is stronger now.

My mom has been through so much. With a husband in the military, she's had to raise two kids alone for several months at a time. I know she felt very alone sometimes, and I know how hard things must've gotten, but she powered through. Because of that, I believe that my mom can endure anything. I get to watch her live her dream now, as she opens her very own business after going through years of culinary school, painful jobs and long hours. I'm so thankful to stand by such a powerful woman. I'm thankful to be able to call her my mom.

Okay, I'm getting teary-eyed. Let's move on.

Your role models don't really have to be family members. My English teacher is extremely influential in my life. Well, she was my English teacher last year. Now, I get to see her for an hour and 45 minutes every day in my school's newspaper class. This woman is like a second mom, but she mostly listens to me talk about my future. I want to be a high school English teacher, just like her. I told her this last year, and she shook her head and said, "I don't recommend it." This puzzled me. I asked her if she regrets her career. She told me she didn't, but she also informed me on the current struggles teachers are facing with school boards, salaries, and the government. Her honesty and guidance has meant so much to me. Although she advises me not to, she still encourages me to follow my heart. I told her once that I would become a teacher just to spite her! That made her laugh… I've never had a teacher like her. I've seen her inspire some of the most stubborn kids. Students with poor grades and painful histories turn around when they leave her class. I've seen several of them return after graduating just to say hey and even thank her. She's so personal with her students, making sure they're safe, happy, and most of all, learning. I'm so grateful for her kindness and amazing advice. Mrs. Fletcher, if you ever read this, I just want you to know that I'm not kissing up, I swear!

I can't stress enough how important it is to have an influential woman in your life. Moms, teachers, family friends; they all have advice to give, because believe it or not, they've gone through a lot of what we're going through. Life is hard sometimes. It's nice to have someone taking the journey with you, holding your hand along the way.

Thank you to the people who make a difference in the lives of young women.

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noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:53:00 +0000

Little Speak >> 11.11.12

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Dear M&M,

Life should be celebrated, in everyday and in everything. And when it is a person's time to go, their life should still be celebrated. Even tho it shouldn't take someone passing away to stop and think and be grateful for things we do have right here and right now, it sure is a huge reminder of what really is important.

I am thankful for you both. I am thankful for your Daddy. I am thankful for our families and their love and support. I am thankful for wonderful friends who have been there thru so much, and who continue to be known in our lives. Life is too short. Take time to tell the people who you care about that you love them. Don't ever assume they know. Celebrating life and your love ones never goes out of style, and the more you do it, the happier and richer your life will be.

I love you, my girls.

Love, Momma

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Friday Love >> 11.9.12

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Have a beautiful weekend friends.We'll be back Sunday with a mother's tribute to her beautiful two little girls.

Lots of love from our family to yours.-Ellie Coburn and the Speak Now team

Educate >> 11.8.12

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Today I wanted to share with you what I am thankful for. I wasn't sure what to write about at first, because I am thankful for so many things in my life & then in the midst of some bad news it hit me.

I am thankful for Life.

I am thankful for the fact that I get to live.

That I get to have this beautiful, amazing, heartbreaking life.

That I get to laugh and breathe.

I get to cry and rejoice.

I get to experience over powering love and heartache.

I get to dance in the rain and bask in the sun.

I get to dream and work towards my dreams.

I get to believe.

I get to live.

It is as simple and beautiful as that. So while you are thinking of all the things you are thankful for today.

Create >> 11.6.12

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Coburn) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:47:00 +0000

Thankful. There are so many things to be thankful for. Thankful for the weather, the colorful leaves. Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for living on a beautiful earth.

But what if you don't feel thankful? What do you do when you can't see anything in your life that you can give thanks for? What if you have health issues? What happens when you feel alone and sad? What if this usually happy month of gratitude really makes you depressed and gets on your nerves? Is it possible to create an attitude of gratitude? Maybe if you take baby steps....if you write in a journal....something you are grateful for every day. It can be the smallest thing...a smile from a friend....a good grade....the beautiful weather...a snowflake...a cute outfit or a good hair day. If you write down something small every day...and then reread your thoughts every day...maybe just maybe that can show you that the small things can become a bigger thing....and you can see more and more around you to be grateful for. Maybe you can be the person who notices someone who is down and smile at them, eat lunch with them, write a little note to them or give them a little treat (cause we all know that a treat can make the world go round sometimes). If you do that...you will then notice your grateful meter getting stronger by paying attention to someone else.

My youngest son has a birth defect called Spina Bifida. He is a full time wheeler...and he's had 18 surgeries over his five years. He's been in and out of the hospital more times than I can count. When he was born....we were so scared...so sad...so angry. Once we learned more about how to care for him...we learned something so important. We learned how many blessings came along with him.....we have witnessed miracles...we have made amazing friends...we have seen people turn into angels and be there for our family. I now look at Spina Bifida as a challenge yes...and sometimes I really hate it (especially when my baby is hurting)....but in more ways than not it's a blessing. We look for the things we can be grateful for....so we can continue to be happy in our lives. Kumaka is a beautiful child...and he doesn't feel bad about his 'disability' because he does what he wants to do. He plays hard with his brothers....he races them....he is starting wheelchair basketball....and is going to start chair skating. He's happy.

Create your attitude of gratitude. Find something that you can be grateful for daily....tell someone why you're grateful for them....your mom...dad...sister...brother....cousin...grandma....grandpa....friend....teacher....neighbor....stranger down the street. It's so important to realize the things you are grateful for....once you do you will find yourself able to do more...you will be more...you will succeed more. Once you create an ability to see what you are thankful for around you...you will find yourself happier...and even more thankful. A ripple effect of thankfulness....how wonderful!

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