Is it well with your soul?

Now that we're all recovered from our holiday food and drink hangovers, the infamous new year's resolutions are taking the forefront of every topic of conversation. I'm a sucker for a positive outlook and striving to do better, but after the last year, and with what's coming in the next year, I'm also realizing it's so much more than becoming a health nut or promising this year's the year to be the perfect you. During an awesome church service Sunday discussing your bright future this year, and in which they sang one of the best songs, I got a little sidetracked thinking of what my own new year's resolution would be and what I wanted to change in my life. But, wholeheartedly, for me this year it's about doing what makes me a better person, inside and out, and most importantly, what leaves me feeling that what I do and who I become is well with my soul.

Feeling healthier instead of losing weight We've all seen it the last few days. The overcrowded gyms with newcomers wanting to get in shape in 2015, the Groupon emails with gym discounts. It's everywhere. And hey, if the new year and the blasts of gym commercials on TV are what make you get motivated, all the power to you. But for me, it's not that I necessarily feel like I need more motivation (although the hundreds of appetizers and glasses of wine I consumed over the holidays should be reason enough) it's really the desire to take a step back and find what's going to make me feel the healthiest. I'm getting married in T-141 days, so am I wanting to kick it into full gear and be at the gym as much as possible between now and then? Absolutely. But my resolution, and goal in general, is to feel healthy, because I really believe that feeling healthy leads to feeling happy. I'd be doomed if I unwillingly went to the gym every single day, rather than going when I can and want to 3-4 times a week, and pairing that with eating healthy at every possible occasion. Because let's be honest, I enjoy sleeping in every now and then, and I very much enjoy going out for dinner and drinks, so it's all in moderation. And that balance is how I intend to live this year, and feeling good about it all along the way.

Being nicer instead of being perfect I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't want to be perfect. I think it's an inherent instinct in (most of) us to want to do everything in our power to be perfect. But does that necessarily make you happy? Is that a realistic goal? For me at least, no way. I'll never be perfect, but I sure can improve. And one way in which I intend to improve this year is to be nicer. Nicer to the people close to me and nicer to those I come in contact with that I may not even know. If there's one thing I learned during the last year, it's how much inspiration a positive person can give to you. When I had tough moments last year, I had the most incredible people in my life to infect me with positivity, and even cooler, I had people that I had never met before or really ever connected with prior to, that sent me such nice, caring and sincere words and thoughts, and that, was really awesome. So instead of feeling unsuccessful when I reach 2016 that I wasn't able to perfect every little thing in my life, I'm hoping to use the next year to succeed in the goal of just being a genuinely nicer person. And hey, maybe it'll even spread some positivity to others around me.

Giving more instead of needing to get more Who doesn't think at the first of a new year that they'd like to "get" more? Whether it's getting more money, getting more possessions, getting big things like a house, a new car, a new job? I think it's incredibly natural to think of ways you can get more from the new year, but my goal, and this is going to be a hard one, is to emphasize more on giving, than what I want to get. It's not just wanting to give money to charity, or give my time for volunteering, but also giving myself and my time to others. In a most general sense, I want to give more time to my family and to Kevin. I admittedly and so easily get wrapped up with what everyone else is doing ,where everyone else is going, and it's a tough cycle of anxiety and sometimes feeling defeated. When in reality, I have what should be the greatest year of my life ahead of me, and so much to be grateful for and to celebrate. And in a more specific sense, I want to continue giving myself to church. I've become more of a regular attender, than a once-a-month attendee (which can be hard as a mid-twenties social butterfly, even when you grew up going every week!), and I can absolutely see a correlation in my happiness and attitude, to the time I give to go to church on Sunday mornings. Hopefully there are many more ways I'll find to give this year, but I'll start with these. I'm all about being realistic here!

So who am I to preach? I'm still learning, I'm not perfect and I definitely have room for improvement in all aspects of my life. But, I do think we all can use positive ideas sometimes, especially those that may strike a cord or light a vision in us that can positively impact our lives and the lives of those around us. So I hope you can shine your light in 2015, and better yet, shine that light unto others around you.

Make it well with your soul today, and every day of 2015. Xoxo! Molly

Deciding that louder awareness is greater than quiet praise, and why I don't read the comments.

Let's start with this: I know I put myself and my story out there. I 100% acknowledge that I, very willingly, shared with media outlets big and small my decision to have preventative surgery and my journey since. Now, since I've made that clear, I also 100% acknowledge that there are some real crazies out there. And especially when you are dealing with the Internet. I decided to write about this topic of sharing your story, the media that shares it and what you can do to move beyond negativity because I think it is really relevant to anyone who feels passionate for a cause and wants to shout it from the rooftops, rather than sit quietly. And when it comes down to it, it's up to asking yourself one question: is the attention and awareness you're spreading bigger than the (sometimes ignorant and negative) crazies in the world? For me, the answer is astoundingly no short of "hell yes." From the moment I posted my first blog, I was overwhelmed by not only gratitude for all the love I was receiving, but also by the extreme amount of confidence I was feeling in myself. Confidence is something I've struggled with in the past, maybe not outwardly, but through different stages in my life, so to feel a new confidence come from within, it was a strangely new feeling that I was immensely proud of. I could have kept quiet, shared it with a few close friends, but deciding to speak out and loudly about my mission has proven to be the best decision I have ever made.

Now to the media. The whole joke of the matter is that I work in marketing and advertising and have an educational background in journalism and public relations. So should I have seen all this coming? Yes, and I did. And I absolutely know that by putting your story out there for the world, you open yourself up to criticism. But the tricky part is remembering to have thick skin when people react either negatively or just have differing views and opinions. Because that does happen, and I think always will. It's part of why my story is unique. Not many young women go through a preventative surgery like mine, but that's part of my mission; to spread awareness for something that could save a life, and especially for those that were unaware or in fear of the information I sought out and used to be proactive.

I'm fortunate that I have had incredibly supportive people in the media help share my story. My first interview with Sheree from Channel 5 was just wonderful and she was so, so sweet to me through the entire process. Obviously my experience shooting the TV commercial for UC Health was just as wonderful and in such a supportive environment. And by far the most rewarding experience was my quick few minute interview with Lynn Berry from HLN. I ended that Skype interview in such awe of her compassion and just flat out praise for my mission to share my story.

So where does any negativity come in? The comments. There are a lot of people out there that have strong opinions and also like to share them from behind their computer screen. And that can be very hard, and I can promise you that I have to force myself not to read too much into them, or read them at all. Someone told me recently, and it was genius, that it's like being a celebrity and knowing they shouldn't read what was said about them in USWeekly. Now, I'm no celeb, but it is totally applicable. Celebrities know that people will find something to be negative about for everything, and it's just not worth it. So do I. It's a balancing act between respecting that everyone has an opinion and it's perfectly acceptable for others to not share yours, and also knowing that it may not be worth causing yourself any pain to always read everything they have to say.

So what can you do: Surround yourself by positive people, praise and environments. Embrace those who support you and your mission, whatever it may be. It's those people who will remind you why you're fighting for what you're fighting for, and never let you forget it. Soak in all the accomplishments you receive and applause you collect along the way. Happiness does wonders on the soul. And lastly, put yourself in environments that bring out the best in you. You will not be able to please everyone or gain everyone's support. That's just life. But you can be the best you can be and do the best you can possibly do, in your own world. And sometimes that is enough to fend off any negative vibes.

So for me, I'll keep striving to spread awareness for high-risk young women, no matter what a random Internet crazy comments. And for all of you who are passionate for a special cause in your heart, I hope you keep fighting for what you believe in and finding it in yourself and from those who support you, to keep on keepin' on.

Xoxo, Molly