Sometimes when we set our sights on magnificent marks we want to target in this lifetime, we are confronted with distracting thoughts that can lure us off course and prevent us from experiencing success.

When this happens to you, don’t be discouraged! You’re not alone. Thoughts of inadequacy like, “I’m not good enough or smart enough” are common. Recognize that it’s just your monkey mind trying to mess with your mission. You wouldn’t be having these thoughts if you weren’t up to something important.

I used to allow my restless mind to manipulate me into sabotaging my plan and impeding my progress. Now I keep pessimistic mental chatter in check by employing three strategies, specifically designed to quell negative nagging and promote positivity in order to proceed with my intentions. Hopefully, these suggestions will support you, too.

Here are my 3 tools to interrupt and conquer beliefs that inhibit success.

Embrace Your God-Given Gifts

What do you love to do? What type of work makes you feel strong, powerful and confident? What types of activities seem like play because you can remain engaged all day without taking a break? This is what you focus on when self-doubt begins to rear its ugly head.

If you have difficulty identifying your strengths, sit in your quiet space over the next few days and reflect on those skills that come easily for you. Also, note conversations you’ve had with others regarding your genius. What have you been praised for over the years? Write your thoughts in a journal,and keep track of your feelings and emotions as you consider your choices.

Be grateful for your unique qualities. I believe we all come here with multiple gifts to explore and develop. Perhaps your task this year is to identify the skills that bring you the most joy and imagine how you can use them to inspire others.

Vow to Wow Others with Your Talents

Let’s reinforce the first tool. We are not here to hoard our gifts. Once you decide that your mission is not all about you, things begin to change. You no longer need to justify or make excuses about why you want to make a difference in the world. When you remove the personal profits or secondary agenda, you allow yourself more freedom to be you. It’s amazing how this works.

When I first started my business and was invited to speak about my program, I told myself I couldn’t eloquently deliver my message for fear of being judged. By withholding my truth, I unintentionally set myself up for failure with my limiting thoughts.

Once I realized that my life purpose wasn’t just about me – but about showing others how to live their best life – the self-imposed burdens were lifted, and I became more confident sharing my vision. Knowing your purpose muffles the monkey mumble, and your authentic voice begins to assume authority.

Being able to articulate your purpose underscores the basic question many people ask: Who am I, and what am I doing here? And most importantly, who am I beyond my fears and perceived limitations? In other words, acknowledging who you are on a deeper level will liberate you from debilitating illusions.

You are an amazing daughter of the universe sent here to love and to be of service to others. This realization helps to dissolve thoughts of inadequacy – because now your charge is no longer a singular, selfish mission, but instead a Divine appointment with a higher focus.

Affirm Your Why and Proclaim Your Power

Your thoughts and words have power. Capture this image: You are mighty beyond measure! Any other vision is a fake view of the real you. You are not here to play small. Create affirmations that support your authority. I realize that this takes time and practice, so let’s begin creating some affirmative statements together.

• I have natural gifts and talents to share with the world.
• My mind is free from self-doubt, and I am ready to welcome challenges that will stimulate my personal growth.
• I shape my experience by speaking confidently and thinking courageously.

Now go ahead and personalize the affirmations that resonate with you, or create your own and begin reciting them this week.

Remember: The purpose of negative mind chatter is to keep you stuck. When you think objectively about thoughts that are smeared with fear, you’ll discover that they are powerless, unless you grant them access to your success.

Snap back with confidence! The next time you become distracted by limited belief patterns, apply these suggestions to help liberate you from the illusions of lack and limitations. The process requires faith and risk-taking, but the rewards are immense. Embrace your creative genius, share your gifts with others, and assert your power as an authority in your area of expertise.

What strategies have you used to combat thoughts that lure you off course? What are your natural talents and how have you used them to inspire others? Share a favorite saying or affirmation that inspires you.

Melissa Gorga’s Green Floral Ring Maxi Dress

Real Housewives All Stars Fashion

Whether we’re talking about the brand of Melissa Gorga’s green floral ring maxi dress or how it looks on the model, things aren’t always what they seem. What I mean by this is A) This dress is definitely not by the brand I would have bet my life savings on when asked who designed it 2) It looks like a totally different dress the way it’s styled on the model (A+ to Melissa for knowing the way it looks best, BTW).

And while it’s still going to run you a pretty penny, whether you can afford it or not, I have a feeling my first Style Stealer will have people looking at you and thinking the price of your dress is definitely not what it seems.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to Shop her Bronx and Banco Tropics Dress

Photo: @MelissaGorga

Originally posted at: Melissa Gorga’s Green Floral Ring Maxi Dress

Melissa Gorga’s Melissa Earrings

Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 11 Episode 11 Fashion

Melissa Gorga’s “Melissa” earrings are one of those pieces that continue to haunt me. They’ve also been worn by Marlo Hampton and Robyn Dixon, and every time I see them I say I’m going to buy them—and I mean it—yet I haven’t. But as they say, third time is an earring charm, right?

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Also Seen on Marlo Hampton:

And Robyn Dixon:

Click Here to Shop her Jennifer Zeuner Ciara Earrings

Click Here to Shop her Pink Scalloped Dress

Originally posted at: Melissa Gorga’s Melissa Earrings

Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to travel to Versailles and experience its magnificent gardens. If not, I suggest you take a virtual tour of the Topiary Gardens of Versailles and treat yourself. So, what exactly is a Topiary garden and how can you have one?

Hopefully, I can help you understand its history and set you off on your own journey to add one of these magical mazes to your very own backyard.

What Is a Topiary?

Merriam-Webster defines a topiary as, “the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees and shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes.”

A person who performs the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and planters to create a definite shape is called a topiarist.

Traditional topiary forms use foliage pruned and/or sculpted into geometric shapes, such as balls, cubes, obelisks, cones and tapering spirals. You might even see amusing shapes of animals or people.

Where Did the Art of Topiary First Appear?

It is believed that the practice of Topiary originated in Europe during the Roman Empire around 44 BC and spread from there around the globe. The Romans demanded order and structure in their society, and in their gardening as well.

The first tree to be sculpted was the olive tree. Shaping the olive trees provided a neat and well-maintained environment which the Romans insisted upon.

From Italy to France

It’s no surprise that the Sun King, Louis XIV (1643-1715) brought the first topiary to France in the mid-1600s. He was first exposed to “hedged art” while on a visit to the Vatican when he fell in love with clipping of the gardens. When Louis XIV returned to France and Versailles, he brought the idea there.

Upon completion of Versailles, Louis immediately began turning the gardens into both formal and fun spaces through Topiary horticulture. Even today, you can see Louis XIV’s obsession with the topiary style of gardening. Many of the plant-based sculptures in current private gardens in France are inspired by visits to Versailles.

What Are the Best Plants Used to form a Topiary?

I think most topiarist would agree that the Boxwood (Suffruiticosa and Morris Dwarf) is the most popular as a result of its small leaves and dense foliage, as are many other woody, dense foliage plants, such as Yews (Taxus x media “Hicks”) Bay Laurels (Laurus nobilis) Holly and Privet Hedge (Ligustrum valgare.)

And let’s not forget the beautiful herbal plants, including lavender and rosemary, that can be grown into splendid topiaries.

Home Grown

How does the home gardener start to make his or her quintessential French topiary garden, whether small or large? The following suggestions should help make the process easier and hopefully, more enjoyable:

Choose Evergreen Plants

Start by planting some type of evergreen (in the ground) or herb (in a pot). If you choose a hedge, remember the hedge will furnish a backdrop for geometric shapes and privacy.

Pots

Use pots to help define space; large pots are the embodiment of French garden style and may help to form an alleyway that leads the visitor to the topiary garden.

Same Plants

Use the same type of plants throughout the garden. Classic planting using the same, mirrored version of other plantings is suggested.

Think About Color

Use color with your evergreens – but use it sparingly. Red seems to be the most striking and will draw the most attention. The contrast with the red color and the deep green color of the evergreens will add a bit of whimsy to the garden. Consider adding a red birdhouse or perhaps red pots to bring fun to the garden.

Free-Flowing Plants

To soften the lineal lines and strong shapes of the topiary garden, you can plant free-flowing ornamental plants like lavender. Lavender placed at the bottom of the evergreen will not only provide movement, but a delightful scent as well.

I leave you with one final tip. Remember, growing a traditional topiary requires patience and a steady hand. Yes, it is true, modern day topiaries can be grown over wire cages, but what about you? Do you prefer the classic method of grooming your topiary one leaf at a time as the Romans did? I do. And why gamble with a sure thing?

While your topiary garden may not look exactly like those of Versailles, it will certainly add color and excitement to your home. Happy planting!

What does your garden look like? Have you tried to create order with love and care? Have you visited Versailles and strolled the amazing topiary gardens? If you don’t have a garden, do you use pots to create a natural feel to your space?

Plopping has been around forever but the curly hair hack has become even more popular as of late thanks to TikTok. Even those with only slight waves are plopping their hair to achieve their best, frizz-free curls. Since plopping involves using a T-shirt in place of a towel and you might not have one around you want to get dirty, Sun Bum created a T-shirt Hair Towel in collaboration with Daniella Perkins. This is the tee you’ll always use and have around.

There are a lot of ways you could be familiar with actress Daniella Perkins. The 20 year old starred in the Nickelodeon series Knight Squad, as well as guest spots in Girl Meets World and Legendary Dudas. And if you haven’t seen any of those shows, there’s a good chance she’s popped up on your TikTok For You Page considering she has a whopping 2.3 million followers. Here she shows off her cute style, beauty faves and curl routine. She’s the perfect partner for Sun Bum’s curl collection.

Source: Instagram

Though, it hasn’t always been easy breesy. “My curl journey has been a long one and I’m still on it! You’re always learning with curly hair,” Perkins tells STYLECASTER. “It went from healthy to damaged to a little bit healthy back to damaged and now it’s on its road to recovery for the past two years.” She admits that she hasn’t always loved her natural texture.

“I didn’t always love my curls. I wanted to be one of those girls with pretty wavy hair that you can put up in a ponytail and take out whenever you want…brush it whenever you want to,” she says. “When I was about 14, I would literally go in the shower [and] spend two hours curling my hair with my finger, and as soon as I got out of the shower would take a straightener and put it to my wet hair so I could get that ‘wavy look.’ It never worked.”

Source: Instagram

She admits it’s all a bit of a bummer. “An ex of mine would always say ‘Oh, I wish you had straight hair so I can run my fingers through your hair,’ or people always want to touch it and act like it’s some crazy thing to have,” she says. “But I realize my curls are beautiful and I shouldn’t try to change my hair texture for anyone. It’s hard finding your perfect hair routine, but once you do, loving your curls becomes a little easier. I never want any little girl to feel like her hair isn’t beautiful. Because it is beautiful.”

Sum Bum.

Sum Bum.

Perkins says one of the reasons she had trouble embracing her hair was because of the lack of representation in media. “I never saw anyone whose skin color or hair looked like me on TV,” she says. “When I was 10, I wanted to be Hannah Montana so badly. I went to the Disney store and my aunt bought me a blonde wig. I lived in that wig. I wanted to have straight blonde hair for so long.” Luckily, there are a few things that can help you love your curls. One is really nailing that routine.

“It takes a minute but once you understand your curls, you can become a master at it,” she says. “To help with frizz, I have been loving the Sun Bum T-shirt Hair Towel for drying. To get the bounce once my hair is dry enough for me, I flip my head over and I take a toothpick comb and just go to the places where my hair kind of sinks down a little bit.”

Sun Bum.

This “towel” is actually a cute T-shirt you can wear and then use to wrap your hair sans frizz. It’s all part of the curly girl routine. The super-soft, absorbent cotton will cut down drying time and keep hair smooth.

Sun Bum.

Meeting Zendaya helped Perkins be more confident and even inspired her future roles. “The first thing [Zendaya] told me was, ‘Don’t ever let them touch your hair. Protect your curls,’” she says. “That stuck with me. That’s why when I booked Knight Squad my curly hair was a big part of that character.” She’s gotten incredible feedback from young fans and their mothers about her character’s natural hair.

“I actually had the most touching experience at a Nickelodeon meet greet,” she says. “This little girl saw me and started crying her heart out. She told me she was so happy that she saw someone who looked like her on Nickelodeon. That shows you the lack of representation. I’m so glad things are changing. We’re definitely nowhere near where we should be, but we’re getting there.”