7 ways to become more positive today!

Each day when we wake up, we have two choices. We can choose JOY or we can choose to be miserable. Unlike happiness, which is based on our circumstances. Joy is internal and is based on God’s goodness, REGARDLESS of how good or bad things are.

For some people (I hate to admit this, but ME!) being positive during trying times doesn’t come naturally. And you know what, that’s ok! We CAN be positive, we just have to work a little bit harder to SEE the good. But one thing I can tell you is, that if you look for the good, you will find it!

There are a few things that will help you be more positive and joyful that I want to share with you. I pray they will help your days go better.

You can not live a positive life with a negative mind.

If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve heard me say many times, if you have a negative mindset, you’ll live a negative life. The worst part is, that we don’t even realize sometimes what we are thinking is dictating our lives. Each day we feed ourselves so many negative thoughts without even realizing it, and then we wonder why we are so unhappy.

Simple things can help shift your mindset to focusing on the positives rather than the negatives. Things like; smiling at yourself when you look in the mirror and taking notice of things you like, rather than picking apart the things you don’t like. Below are some more ideas. I hope this will inspire you to be more conscious of your thought patterns. Because if you change your perspective, you will change your life!

1. Wake up and thank God for your day. Thank Him regardless of your feelings, because God’s promises are NOT based on our feelings. They are based on His truth!

2. Get up and get moving. If nothing else, just walk. Walk around your house, around the block, whatever you can do. Do it.

3. Look in the mirror and ask God to let you see yourself through HIS eyes. Speak words of truth over yourself. Read a Bible verse or just say something out loud that you like about yourself.

4. Read the Bible. Depending on your morning schedule, you might need to get up earlier to get your Bible reading in, but if you only have a few minutes, download a Bible app and just get into the Word for a few minutes. Something is better than nothing. Don’t tell yourself you don’t have time. I promise you, time spent in the Word is NEVER a waste!

5. Put on some worship music. And sing, or dance, journal, or cry out to the Lord. However you worship is between you and God. And again, time worshiping the Lord, is NEVER a waste!

6. Drink a BIG glass of water. Cold, hot, with lemon. Doesn’t matter. Drink it however you like it. But water just makes you feel good and is so good for you!

7. Smile! Smile at yourself. Smile at strangers. Smile at no one. It doesn’t matter. Just smile. Smiling will train your mind to be happy. And personally, I love smiling at strangers, because you never know how a simple smile might impact their day!

SEE THE GOOD.

Don’t just “look” for the good. SEE the good. Train your mind to see the good. The positive in all things and I promise you, after awhile you will start noticing yourself being more positive.

I encourage you to start this list TODAY. It is a new day. A fresh start. Doesn’t matter if it is the Monday of all Mondays, or the weekend. His mercies are new every single day. So MAKE it a great day!

xo, Elizabeth

Elizabeth’s Cold Brew Coffee {Recipe}

Elizabeth’s Cold Brew Recipe:

8 cup French Press (I have a few different ones, but this one is great and inexpensive!)

8 Tablespoons of Coarsely ground coffee

Filtered Water

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tsp. brown sugar {optional}

In your French Press add 8 Tablespoons of your favorite coffee. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (adds flavor & has a lot of health benefits!) and 3 tsp. brown sugar. I add this if I’m wanting to sweeten it up a little more, though cold brew coffee is naturally sweeter than regular coffee. If you are going to use store bought flavored creamers, you can omit this step.

Once you have added your coffee, cinnamon and brown sugar, fill the French press almost to the top with filtered water. (leaving a little bit of room for the top to be put back on.) Stir carefully (I usually just use a straw) to combine and cover with foil or the top to the French press. Make sure not to press it down though! Store in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Not more than 24. 12-15 hours is best. I usually do this in the evening before bed so it is ready to enjoy in the morning!

Serve over ice. Some people like to dilute the cold brew with water, though I personally don’t suggest doing so. I do love to add a splash of creamer though. One of my favorites is this one.

Tips for Success!

Use filtered water if possible. Cold brew or not, it’s always a good idea to use filtered water when making any sort of coffee or espresso drink.

Don’t Rush the process. Make sure you steep it at least 12 hours, which is why I make it the evening before and let it sit overnight. But on the other hand, don’t leave it in the fridge too long. 12-15 hours is perfect!

Cool Beans. Ok I just wanted to say “cool beans.” haha! But seriously, I always suggest buying whole beans and then grinding them yourself as you need them. BUT, make sure your beans are coarsely ground for perfect results.

Ratio to make a bigger batch. 4:1– 4 Cups of Water to 1 Cup of Coffee.

Best if: Stored in the fridge in an air tight container, like a mason jar. Use within a week for best taste. But let’s be real, it’s never lasted that long in my house. haha. The best way to enjoy it is to, invite a friend over on a warm afternoon and enjoy it together! :)

Any questions on changing this recipe up? Feel free to email me or send me a message on Instagram.

xo,

Elizabeth :)

Salted Caramel Latte Recipe

saltedcaramel

Coffee is my love language. I mean really though, coffee just gets me. ;) Anyone else feel this way? I love my espresso machine and don’t know what I’d do with out this swell guy. Yes, I called my machine a guy. He’s my friend. haha. Ok, actually I do know what I would do without ~~him~~ errr, I mean it. ;) I love making up new fun and delicious espresso drinks to enjoy myself as well as to serve to friends and family that come over. This salted caramel is perfect for your homemade lattes but I’ve also used it for chocolate salted caramel cupcakes. Yum! They are so good. But that’s for another day!

Continue reading →

Cold brew recipe + Coffee date.

cold brew1

It’s no secret that I LOVE coffee and I don’t discriminate against how it comes as long as it’s 1. good and 2. strong! Espresso drinks are usually my drink of choice. I love my Breville BES860xl to make lattes and mochas. Sometimes though I like to switch it up and throw some cold brew in the daily coffee mix. It is so simple to make at home and if you make a double batch in a larger 12-cup French press, you can store it is your fridge for a few days. Continue reading →

YOU are Beautiful

bed mug

Beauty is something {especially as women} that we are always searching for. We look to others at times, for inspiration and maybe even admiration. We obsess over silly things like pimples, height, weight, clothing size, eye color, hair color….and the list goes on and on! We long to “be beautiful” and even if we are told every day that we are beautiful, we don’t believe it. Why? I really don’t have the magic answer as to why we all feel this way, but I do know this. Continue reading →

Fresh fruit & granola breakfast bowl

breakfast bowl

Three cheers for fresh fruit! Hip, Hip Hooray! Hip, Hip……I’m cheering alone, aren’t I? Well isn’t this awkward. ;) hehe. Ok well I am obviously excited about fresh fruit, mainly berries. Warmer weather brings out the most beautiful fruits and I have to say, I am crazy about Summer fruit! Give me a watermelon and a spoon and I am one happy girl! {true story} So the other day when I was at Trader Joe’s and saw these beautiful organic strawberries that I literally could smell through the package I grabbed a couple and knew exactly what I would do with them.

I have a love-hate relationship with breakfast. I absolutely love “breakfast foods” but eating them at breakfast time isn’t always my favorite. In a perfect world {you know, where you could eat whatever you want and nothing has calories…..come on, that’s your perfect world too, right?} I would eat chocolate croissants and bakery style blueberry muffins with my coffee. But life isn’t fair and croissants have way too many calories to eat every day! Enter fresh fruit & granola breakfast bowl. Super yummy, super simple and super quick and delicious!