Color and Grace - Over 40s Petite fashion and life style blogger

During the holiday seasons, I like to watch movies to build up my holiday cheers. A few nights ago I watched The Christmas Chronicles and really loved it. I am not from a long line family of true believers, lol! But I really believe in miracle of life. I think Santa represents the miracle power that we all have in us that we just have to choose to believe in ourselves. So this movie got me thinking, what if I am the director of this movie called MY OWN LIFE? What type of movie am I going to make? Drama? Action? Adventure? Comedy? Crime? Family? Fantasy? Mystery? Romance? Lol! There are so many choices!

In fact, I AM already the movie director of my own 44 years of life. If I watch my own life movie as a stranger on Netflix, I have to say it is quite an interesting one. At least to myself, Lol! It has a very humble beginning, struggles in conflicts with survival, love, loss, finding life purpose and living life fully. My movie shows me as a human being at my best, my worst, and everything in-between. But it all has one pattern, that is eventually I made it to a happy ending.

Based on the average of life expectancy, I probably still have at least another 40 years of life to continue in this movie called Grace’s Life Story. What would I direct the movie about my life intentionally? Lol, it sounds like I need a vision board and life plan before writing this script for my movie, right? In fact, I do have a vision board for 2018 and plan to update it soon before the New Year. I usually block one day to write down a super detailed life plan too. I have to talk about that in a later post. 😉

Anyway, according to where I am at now in my life story, I determined to create more happy ending stories. I know there is no way to be happy all the way to the end, but at least, I know how this life thing works by now. Lol! It’s not the life event decides my quality of life, it is what I think, or do with those life events. For example, I lost my late husband, this event interrupted the quality of my life, but after I survived, I created a new way to be happy again. The new way is to take the life after the loss as an opportunity to rediscover myself and create a new way of living without him.

So the quality of life starts with how I communicate with myself or choose to believe. For example, a few days ago a friend said that he thinks I am a successful person. I was like, no, I don’t think so. I am still so far far away from making the million dollars that I wanted to start my Life after loss foundation. I only barely can support myself now. Lol. Later when I chatted with a different friend. He corrected me “You ARE successful! You have overcome many times and turned your life around. You are doing what you love and happy most of the times. Being successful is not just about money.” I was like, that is so true! How can I fall back to the old habit again?! I instantly felt different. Lol. Yes, I am successful!

Those moments of realization just showed again that we determine how we feel by the meaning we give to the event, or whatever is happening in our life. Now I know this secret, I can decide what meanings to give everything in my life. Damaged childhood? Naah, it was just hardships that I encountered and I can heal myself by learning how to love myself and forgive others. Life is unfair and I am depressed because I lost my father and late husband? No, it was just the push to make me being truly independent and pursuit higher level of self-awareness without attaching myself to anyone. I am out of luck finding my soulmate again since I already got one before? Naah! I am very experienced on how to create a close relationship so when I see it, I can recognize it. What my life movie will be about in the next 40+ years? I determined it will be about passion and love for life. My movie will be a combination of Adventure, Family, Romance, Comedy and very little Drama! What Would You Direct The Movie About Your Life?

By the way, since everyone is running around to find some perfect gifts, I would like to be more useful and share something that I think will be a life saver. The HOLIDAYS WITH HAPPY CARDS! Happy Cards is a gift card that combines top brands across the country. There are so many combinations of those cards. For example, Happy Dining, Happy Kids, Happy Teens, Happy Lady, Happy Guy, Happy Beauty, Happy Student and Happy Bride. I got myself a Happy Dining since I am a foodie. I also hosting a giveaway this evening on my Instagram account. Make sure you enter to win a $100 Happy Lady card!

There are so many reasons I love Happy Cards!

* Make buying the perfect gift as easy as giving it. Avoid the chaos of holiday shopping, and the stress of wondering what to give that special someone. Get happy, give Happy. The only gift card that pairs them with their favorite brands.

* Take the guessing out of gift-giving. Keep your holidays happy, with the gift card that pairs your favorite people with their favorite brands. For a perfect fit every time. Get happy. Give Happy.

* The gift to give when you want to give choices. Let them know just how well you know them with the gift card that pairs them with their favorite brands. Get happy. Give Happy.

* The perfect gift for nearly everyone. Take guessing out of your gifts, with the gift card that brings the most trusted brands to the people who love them. Get happy. Give Happy.

* Put a little extra Happy in your Holidays. Make gift-giving drama a thing of the past. Give the gift card that pairs your favorite people with their favorite brands. Get happy. Give Happy.

You can read all the Life After Loss series here and Living with Cancer series here and Being the Best of Me here.

Photo credit: Grace Liang

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|TODAY’S LINKUP PARTY:|

An InLinkz Link-up

Grace

colorandgrace.com occasionally receives vendor/brand sponsorships for mentioning their products and services.

This post is partnered with adidas, but all the opinions are my own.

It is that time of the year again that I started to reflect on what I have achieved and what is my new dreams, life goals and plans for the upcoming new year. I must say, 2018 is an extraordinary year for me. It is filled with a lot of personal growth and achievements in many aspects of my life, especially in the fitness area.

My fitness journey officially started about six months after I lost my late husband. It was one of my ways to get my life back, and it has for sure helped me through the darkest time of my life. You can read Life After Loss || How Fitness Helped Me Cope for more details. Since I started in July 2017, I have been keeping up at least 3 or 4 times with my gym routines for most of the weeks. My goals are being more healthy and get my high school body back. To make it more measurable, it means that physically I will have more energy to do the things that I love and enjoy. If I have to put them into numbers, it means I would love to fit into my size zero dress again.

I am very lucky to have a great gym called Area 45 Fitness that is very close to my house. I can even walk to it. Lol. But the best part is all about the people. The community there is so supportive and filled with fun, loving people! It makes working out more like playing with friends. Lol.

Since November, I haven’t been able to go to the gym as much as I would like, but the results are still pretty good if I compare myself now with last year. Of course, I try to eat clean regularly and also got CoolScupting treatments to speed up the progress of shrinking my tummy. As you can see below with those BEFORE/AFTER photos, I am more toned, and my middle session is so much flatter now.

I am quite happy with my program I have made in 2018, and I defiantly will keep up the good work. The goal for next year is to lose more fat on my tummy and gain more muscles so I will finally be able to feel more comfortable to wear a crop top when I am working out. Lol. Anyway, below is the analysis from my gym. I do have a long way to go!

Analysis: Overall your progress was great considering your busy schedule. Your focus was to lose inches off of your waist and you were able to bring that down from 32.1 to 27.1 inches, which is s total of 5-inches. We were able to reduce your body fat percentage from 33.2 to 27.1, which again was not bad considering your schedule. We’re excited to see what the New Year will bring you and our future goal is 22.0 percent in Body Fat!

By the way, since going to the gym become my weekly routine, I have found myself buying more and more gym clothes. Lol, you know, a cute outfit makes working out just a little bit less hard, right? I have been collecting more and more pieces from www.adidas.com. Just like in this outfit, everything from head to toe is from adidas. By the way, this ESSENTIALS 3-STRIPES TIGHTS is so comfy! I want to wear them every day! This DON’T REST ALPHASKIN SPORTS BRA is so cute with all my gym pants/shorts. Oh and this white VARILITE HYBRID JACKET is so chic! I wear it when I go out sometimes. 😉

What is your new year fitness goal? Please share with us your “End of the Year Fitness Reflections and Realistic New Year’s Resolutions” in the comment below!

Photo credit: Grace Liang/@rh_hiit

|TODAY’S LINKUP PARTY:|

An InLinkz Link-up

Grace

colorandgrace.com occasionally receives vendor/brand sponsorships for mentioning their products and services.

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