Grace: “The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.”
It costs us nothing to extend grace to ourselves and others except our ego. May you live in a state of grace today and always.
In luv and Dessert,
Leisa Monique
If you have followed this blog for any length of time you know that here at #EMDF we embrace Monday and use the day to create a magnificent day and week. if you are new to the EMDF family I hope you, too will embrace Monday and use it to set the tone for the rest of your week.
I am super excited to kick off #MondayMantra, a weekly affirmation that you can use to get your Monday started. I will post a new Mantra every Monday in an effort to get more people to embrace the beauty of Monday rather than dread it.
In Luv and Dessert,
Leisa Monique
May 10-16, 2020
It’s National Women’s Health Week and as we navigate the current times, we are mindful of the importance of our physical and mental health and the health of all of the women in our lives.
This is a great time to check-in with yourself to see how you are doing physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and Spiritually and think about making any changes that you feel are necessary to be in optimal health in all areas of your life.
We are living in challenging times but we can minimize the stress of daily life as we know it by engaging in activities that bring us joy and happiness and offer us an opportunity for peace. The Office on Women’s Health offers a wealth of resources on women’s and girl’s health including a fact sheet and this handy “Find Your Health” tool to help you assess where you are with your health. Our blog Eat My Dessert First offers plenty of inspiring posts to guide you on your path to healthy self-worth and self-esteem including the Ebook “Daily Desserts to Inspire Self-Love“. There are also resources on financial education and budgeting to help you get your money right.
No matter where you are on your journey to optimal health know that you are supported. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself space to explore and grow. Nurture your body, mind, and Spirit and above all else give yourself all the luv and support you need to get through these times. Enjoy your journey!
In luv and dessert,
~Leisa Monique
National Dessert Day happens to fall on my favorite day of the week: Monday. Couple this with the Full Moon in Aries and I’m in my happy place. Here at EMDF we believe that Monday, the start of the week for many, is a great day to set the tone for the rest of your week. It’s a great day to DECIDE that you will have the kind of week/days that make you happy. If you need some inspiration Indulge in one of our Daily Desserts. You’ll be sure to find something that inspires you. have yourself a great Monday!
In luv and dessert,
Leisa Monique,
When was the last time you told your SELF Thank You? As you’ve thanked everyone for helping you, encouraging you and supporting you, have you thanked your SELF? It is easy to overlook the very person who dreams, who perseveres, who tries time and time again even when they fail. The person who gets up each day and goes about their day no matter how routine or mundane it may seem. The person who provides for themselves and their families. The person who supports and encourages others. The one who is always there for their friends and family. The person who believes in themselves, and in the power of their own dreams.
So often we make it a point to thank other people in our lives. When someone expresses kindness to us, we thank them. When someone gives us a compliment, we thank them. When someone offers their support to us, we thank them. We make sure to thank others. But thanking ourselves is something we may rarely think of doing but should do more often. After all, it is you that takes care of you. It is you that gets up and moves forward even when you don’t feel like it. Without YOU, you wouldn’t be able to do any of the things that you do. So, just as you acknowledge other and give thanks to and for them, do the same for your SELF and tell YOU Thank You.
~Leisa Monique
Be deliberate in your thinking for you create what you think about whether you want it or not. #MagnificentMonday #MondayMotivation. Follow us on Instagram @eatmydessertfirst.
I loved this piece from Jonathan Mead, author of Illuminated Mind, so much that I wanted to share it with you! Enjoy!
Right now, you have a choice. You can live life partially closed or wide open.
You can spend each day feeling completely spent, knowing that you gave everything. Or you can hesitate, hold back, and obstruct what you have to give.
The first path is where you let your heart guide you, immersed in a deep curiosity and with a sense of exploration. You smile at what you have yet to do because you know that each step will be joyful and deliberate.
The second path is filled with second-guessing, what-ifs, and seeking approval from maps and nods of others. You cringe with each step; you feel tense and unsure.
One way leads you to feeling thoroughly used up, knowing that you gave everything and held nothing back. Like at the end of a good run, you’re tired, yet energized.
The other way leaves you with a feeling of fragmentation; a sense that part of you has been closed off and bottled up. You feel twisted and jammed, as if some part of you is being pinched off.
They have a saying in sports to “leave it all on the field.” It means: Hold nothing back, put it all on the line. Don’t end the game feeling like you could have given more. Don’t leave feeling like you played it safe when you had the opportunity for something greater.
If you give everything, there will be no questions about what you could or might have done.
I definitely relate to this when I’m running the San Gabriel trails in my backyard. Most of the time I don’t run all the way up the steep climb to the top (an elevation gain and drop of about 4,000 feet over 7 miles), but when I stop to walk I hear a call somewhere in me asking if I have anything left to give. I ask: Jonathan, is there anything left in there? And even though my lungs are on fire and calves are burning I always find that the answer is Yes, there’s something more to give.
It’s easier when I’m on the trail. I’m only thinking about the next few steps in front of me; the next bush, the next turn… just a few more feet. In life I find it to be a bit more tricky. The path isn’t always as clear. Goals change as you move toward them; life can be messy and unpredictable.
But I find the goal to be the same. Give everything, hold nothing back. Unrelentingly feed love into everything that you do, in every interaction, every step. Even the smallest things can be done with great love.
Of course there will be days where you stumble. Sometimes you will make things out to be bigger than you are and forget what matters. Something on the path will distract you and deter you from the direction you want to go. But then you will remember to retrace your steps and take notice.
And when you reflect you’ll remember: give everything, hold nothing back. End each day thoroughly spent.
That’s the way I want to end each day. How about you?
What if, just for today, you let go of the need to know everything happening in your life?!
What if, just for today, you released your idea of how things should be and accepted things just as they are, as they unfold right before your eyes?!
What if you didn’t try to solve every “problem” that came up today but allowed the solution to emerge from the problem since with every problem comes a solution?!
What if, just for today, you decided to step into the realm of the unknown and trust that everything has already been worked out… for your good?!
What if, just for today, you decided to let go of the stress and worry created by attempting to control the flow of life and allowed life to flow…effortlessly?!
What if, just for today, you believed that there is a Divine power orchestrating the dance of the Universe and that it wants to dance with YOU?!
What if, just for today, you allowed yourself to experience all the wonder and all the splendor and all the mystery and all of the magic of life that is occurring around us at every moment?! What if…what if…what if…JUST FOR TODAY!
In luv and dessert,
Leisa Monique
.jpg)
Magnificent Monday to you! Of course, by now, you all know that Monday is my favorite day of the week! I luv it because it’s the beginning of a brand new week and a chance to forgive any missteps we have experienced over the past week!
How are you starting your week off? I encourage you to begin by being good to yourself! Luv yourself! Tell yourself something good about yourself! So many of us go through our day with a negative attitude about ourselves. We tell our friends and co-workers how great they are, but we seldom express that same luv for ourselves.
So today, Monday, make it a point to be good to yourself! Find something wonderful about yourself and remind yourself of that fact all day today. Remind yourself of your goodness! Remind yourself of your intelligence! Remind yourself of your kindness to others! Remind yourself of your divinity! Remind yourself of your magnificence!
In luv and dessert,
Leisa Monique
Its Monday again; my favorite day of the week!! Its my new beginning and a day for a fresh start.
I got to bed late last night and overslept this morning. I missed the Sunrise which is my favorite part of the day. Instead of waking up the Sun smiling at me and to birds singing and trees rustling, I awoke to the sound of my blackberry chiming! I heard the noise of many cars and trucks driving by and voices of people. ARG! This is not how I want to start my morning!
I was tempted to immediately check that blackberry to see what those urgent messages were! My mind quickly turned to thoughts of concern for all the things that I have scheduled today: meetings with strategists, fundraising meetings, my bank account, my light and gas bill that is due, am I going to renew my lease and how much money I am going to need to do all of the things I need to do…you get the picture. See, I began to worry! Oh yes, even I get to a place of worry sometimes especially when I wake up late and don’t make time to sit in silence.
So that is exactly what I did…made time to sit in silence and just be! I locked my door so that my children don’t come barging in, ignored that chiming blackberry, and tuned out the world. I turned to the things that I do to quiet my mind: meditation, prayer, and writing. This is my DESSERT, and I had to make time to eat it first instead of jumping right into my day.
As I sat and turned my attention to my heartbeat, the worries that I had previously began to fade away. the familiar peace that I know so well came back, and the words ” BE STILL AND KNOW” filled me! I focused on these words, and as I sat, I meditated on them. As I breathed in, I mentally said them! As I breathed out, I mentally said them! I held on to them, and I knew that this was the Divine telling me there is nothing to worry about!
Although I let go of being a religious person a long time ago, I still love the Bible. The wisdom that it contains guides me. The words Be Still and Know… are from Psalms 46:10. This is the message that I want to give to you today: When you are tempted to worry, just be still and know! Know what you ask? Know that you are loved and that everything you need you already have. Know that everything will always be alright and if things seem to not be going your way, KNOW that the Divine has a much better plan for you! Something better than you had ever imagined!
So take time this Monday to be still. Find a place where you can go to just sit quietly and listen. Be grateful for this day and all the opportunities disguised as challenges that will present themselves to you today! I call them opportunities for growth! Instead of looking at them as problems, change your perspective and see them as opportunities! This is your time to evolve! this is your time to grow! This is your time to BE STILL AND KNOW that everything will be alright!
In luv and dessert,
Leisa Monique
Eat My Dessert First 