The Full Potential Challenge
Ever wonder what your life would be like if you lived up to your full potential? Would your body be healthier? Your skin clearer? Bank account bigger? I think about these things all the time, and, judging my a previous post, you guys do to. Below is a chart designed to help all of us live up to our full potential. Iâve broken it down into time frames to help keep you from getting overwhelmed. Write the chart down and hang it someplace where you can see it all the time. I will be starting this challenge tomorrow, 9/8. Iâll check in with you guys every Sunday to track my progress. I have specific goals in mind for myself, and you guys should make some too! I really want to know how you guys are doing. Tag your progress posts with #sbfpc so I can track it and take a look. Letâs get to it!
EVERY MORNING
Stretch. First thing. Really give your body enough time to wake up. Touch your toes. Roll out your shoulders. Do not hit snooze!
Do your full skincare routine. I have mine detailed here, but do whatever works for you and your complexion. Be gentle and consistent.Â
Brush your teeth and floss. I used to be a big floss-skipper too, but youâd be amazed at how dig of a difference it makes. Rinse with a whitening mouthwash. I use one by Crest, and I notice a major difference in my teethâs overall whiteness in just a few days.
Give yourself enough time to get ready. Whether youâre a wash-and-go kind of girl, or someone who spends an hour doing a full contouring routine before class (and either one is fine!), make sure you arenât rushing. If you need to wake up a few minutes earlier than normal, so be it. Rushing sets an awful, stressed-out tone for the rest of the day. Allow yourself to be relaxed before taking on the day.
Eat something. Iâm not going to say eat a big breakfast, because some people (myself included) just canât eat in the morning. But you should eat, or at least bring a little something with you to work or school. If you canât eat a full breakfast, grab a fruit! You wonât be as hungry come lunch time, making you less likely to gorge yourself.
Shower. You can do this at night, in the morning, whatever. Again, this is something you should allow some time for. I donât wash my hair every day, but I do condition it every day (from the ears down). Scrub yourself with a delicious-smelling body wash. If you shave, make yourself as smooth as a dolphin, dude. If you donât, then donât and donât ever ever ever let anyone make you feel bad or weird about it. When you get out of the shower, wrap yourself in a fluffy towel and totally slather your sexy self with lotion. Top to bottom. Do it as soon as you can post-shower so it can really sink in.Â
Put leave-in condition throughout your damp hair and comb it through.
Put on an outfit that makes you feel good! So important!
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Take a look at your daily to-do list. Knock out the most pressing stuff first. Take pride when you cross things off your list.
Make your bed! Oh my god, make your bed. Do it. Do it. Do it.Â
EVERY AFTERNOONÂ
Follow the âtouch it onceâ approach. This is a truly life-changing thing. When a task is in front of you, no matter how big or small, just do it right then and there. How many times have you gotten a work email or homework assignment and thought, âEh, Iâll do it laterâ? And then later never comes? Once something pops up, do it once. Squash it and be done. Cross things off your list and feel like a badass.
Try to go for a walk at lunch. Even one little lap around the block or campus will reenergize you like nobodyâs business.Â
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Be present. This is so hard for me too, but you have to make a major effort to be present in whatever youâre doing. Be engaged and plugged-in and just exist in the moment. Give 100 percent.
Be friendly to friends and strangers. A smile goes a long way.
Eat something. Eat what you packed for lunch (see below) and take a break from working while you do it. You need âyou timeâ!
EVERY EVENING
Take your makeup off as soon as youâre in for the night. Wash your face with your full routine and let your skin have a break.Â
Workout. You can also do this in the morning. Whatever works for you. Make a great playlist and go hard af. Get your cardio in. Get your strength training in. Earn every freaking sweat bead forming on your forehead. Earn your shower!
Knock out your homework. Life is infinitely better you donât have anything hanging over your head. Half the time, the energy and emotion you spent dreading/putting off your work is ten times worse than the work itself.
Make a list of what needs to be done tomorrow. Itâll set you up for success the next day, and you wonât forget anything!
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Lay out your clothes for tomorrow. This will save you SO MUCH TIME in the morning omg I canât even tell you how important this is.
Eat something great. And once youâve decided to be done eating for the night, be done. Brush your teeth so you canât eat again.
After brushing, do a whitening treatment. Whether itâs classic baking soda, a Crest white strip, or a laser. Do something. And floss! Retainers in too, ladies 0:)
Relax! Take a few hours to do what YOU want to do. Scroll through Tumblr, binge on some Netflix, FaceTime gossip with your friends, anything. Do whatever makes you happiest.Â
Shut the electronics off an hour before you want to go to bed. Put your phone on sleep mode. If you stare at the screen, it will keep you awake and alert and you wonât be able to fall asleep. A good nightâs sleep is crucial for weightless and general happiness lol
Do a quick sweep of your room and see if thereâs anything you can put away real quick. A clean space is a happy space.
Crawl into your bed (arenât you happy you took the time to make it?!) and read a book by lamplight for a while. When you start to feel sleepy, go to sleep. Donât push it. You kicked ass today and you deserve rest.Â
EVERY WEEKEND
Do something with your friends. It just has to be one thing. Even if youâre just hanging out at the coffee shop, spending time with your squad will make you a better, happier person.
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Do something just for you. Set your laptop up in the bathroom and watch a Netflix marathon while you take a bubble bath. Buy an old school bottle of Mr. Bubbles ($3 at Target!) and really just soak. Relax. Light a candle.
Do something creative. You can read a book, write, blog, draw, code, anything. It just has to be something that speaks to your passion.
Track your progress. Just do this once a week so it doesnât become all-consuming. And remember that non-scale victories are just as important as shedding pounds.
Take the time to be grateful. Tell your friend how much you admire her taste in music. Mention to your mom how much you love her cooking and how happy you are that she takes care of you. Thank your teaching after an especially interesting lecture. When you do something awesome, take a moment to admire yourself. Be grateful for even the little things.
Anything I missed? Reblog + add yours! Donât forget to tag your progress!
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I present some mid-tier English language tips that may make your writing clearer.
1.      Beware dangling modifiers. A dangling modifier is one separated from the thing it is modifying. âShe split that hair, laughing viciouslyâ might on some planet be interpreted as âshe split that hair while the hair laughed viciously.â Sometimes, as here, the true meaning is obvious; sometimes it is subtle and can warp your intention. Maybe âHe rushed into the nightclub where she danced, pantingâ is a better example. Who is panting? âSheâ might seem more obvious than âHe.â And if itâs supposed to be she, that sentence is 100% correct. If itâs supposed to be he, rephrasing to put the modifier closer to the object might be wise.
2.      Stay aware of simultaneous vs. sequential action. When you say âX played a contemptuous note, chucking the tuba,â you are saying that X played a note and chucked the tuba at the same time. If X played the note and then chucked you can simply say âX played a contemptuous note and chucked the tuba.â An exception can be made if X is playing the note on a different instrument, perhaps kicking a marimba, while chucking the tuba, but letâs not go overboard here.
3.      Remember possessive pronouns. All possessive pronouns (my/mine, your/yours, his, hers, its, our/ours, and their/theirs) are spelled without an apostrophe. All possessive nouns (prognosticatorsâ, fireâs, insurance fraudâs) are spelled with an apostrophe.
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hyphen vs. en dash vs. em dash
quick editing tip for you all!Â
there are three dashes used in writing: the hyphen (-), the en dash (â), and the em dash (â). i see them misused all the time, so hereâs a tiny crash course!
hyphen: simple. tiny. used to join two words together. examples: non-removable, middle-aged, absent-minded
en dash: width of the letter n. used to show a range between things. probably wonât be used much in your prose. examples: 1985â1990, ThursdayâSaturday, AâZ
em dash: width of the letter m. generally used to break up clauses or show interruption. i like to use these when im not sure if a semi-colon is appropriate. examples: âWaitââ // I couldnât seeâit was far too dark. // I was coldâfreezing, actually.
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mac shortcuts: en dash (alt+hyphen) // em dash (alt+shift+hyphen)
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