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Lifestyle

The Happy List: 25 things that make me happy.

4/28/2018

30 Comments

 
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Hi everyone! Welcome to my happy list! well, part of it:) A topic straight out of the 365 Blog Topic Ideas. Let's just get right into it!
1. My girls. Well, that's definitely a given. They're both incredible, beautiful, spectacular little people I do love so and they make my entire life happy.
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2. Time with my husband. Cuddling, loving, lazy days, watching movies, eating pistachios and everything else.
3. Exploring the world with my husband. Visiting places we've never been to but even wandering our very own city and experiencing life together taking time to unplug.
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San Diego City Picture by ​@eric_scire
4. Coffee. Definitely good, delicious coffee at home or at favorite cafes and trying new cafes we haven't been to yet! You can  watch our Coffee Addict Series here.
5. Cozy evenings with good old comedy shows.
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6. Date Night.
7. Peonies. Carnations. Tulips.
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8. Love letters.
9. Nature surrounding me. Camping, Cabins, Adventure!
10. The ocean.
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11. Sunsets.
12. Hugs.
13. Lazy Rivers.
14. Music.
15. Sitting on the curb eating tacos. 
16. Farmers Markets because they remind me of the street markets in Morelos Mexico.
17. The sun shining in my home with just the right breeze.
18. Campfires.
19. Positive people who refuse to be put down. I admire you greatly.
20. Mi mama. Porque no hay nadie como ella. Es mi vida entera.
And last but not least...
21.  Blogging. The process, creating, publishing. community!
22.  Vlogging! Youtube, filming, editing and of course, community. 
23. Photography.
24. You. For taking the time to read my blog. I really appreciate you SO MUCH. You are absolutely the best.
25. My dreams and aspirations. In the pursuit of living my best life. 
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ps  Next on the blog: A typical day in 10 pictures ! If you want to join me click below to grab the book! It is helping me create good habits with the thing I love to do. Create.
More From 365  Blog Topic Ideas

10 Facts About Me
*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Yuli Armstrong: 10 Facts about me.

4/25/2018

25 Comments

 
Hiiiii everyone!!!! So here’s to 365 Blog Topic Ideas that I’ll be posting EVERY... other day or every day, no every other day... everyday? well I guess we'll see guys!  Because let’s face it, this challenge is going to be HUGE for me. I hope you enjoy this fascinating challenge I’ve set for myself and maybe... just maybe, join me too?
Yuli Armstrong sitting on a desk.
1. I am in fact a hot mess in these pictures but bear with me while I practice shooting myself more often. 📸 

2. Yuli is actually short for Yuliana.

3. My husband and I have been married for 6 years. We got married in Yosemite National Park April 15, 2012.

4. We do not drink alcohol. At all. Since 2011.

​5. My favorite color is in fact BLACK.
yuli sitting on her desk with her phone

Read More
25 Comments

My YouTube Channel Progress and Anxiety.

4/21/2018

53 Comments

 
Picture of a black dslr camera in the sunshine on a desk.
Hi everyone! Let me start by saying (wait I forgot what i was going to say...)
I have really bad ADD.

A screenshot of yuli armstrong's youtube channel header.

Ok, so let me start off by saying that in 2007 I filmed my first video in Santa Barbara California with the hopes and dreams of starting a youtube channel. Unfortunately, the video was never uploaded, my life took a big turn and the video was lost through files, ended up in a Zune device (anyone remember those?) that a cousin of mine ended up finding, watching and told me it.was.stupid. So there's that.

When I filmed that first video back in 2007, I also started a website to post recipes and things on, you know, like a blog! on what was called Windows Live Spaces. I was starting to blog back before I even knew what blogging really meant!
​
I always filmed around me but with no purpose to upload. I don't know why for the life of me a decade went by and I never attempted to get back to starting my channel again. But you know what, we'll go back to that story later. Lets just fast forward to the part where I uploaded my first YouTube video on my channel, December 4th, 2016.  And guess what? It wasn't me in front of the camera. It was my 4-year-old daughter. Ellie's First Lookbook 2016
​
Music for Youtube

​Shooting it wasn't as hard as it was editing because you see, I did not want to cut out any footage of my adorable daughter... I used about 3 songs and it only came out to around 4 minutes. I started by getting my music from NCS. You find great music and follow their rules.

Youtubers I Watch

I went on to filming everything and anything else but ME.  Amy Schmittauer's VEDA definitely got me a lot of practice editing and uploading even though I did not once finish a whole month. I started to think about what I wanted to be a part of, what I wanted to support. I also watched A LOT of Amy Schmittauer, Peter McKinnon, Casey Neistat and Nick Nimmin to name a few.

Books I've Read

I started to work on my personal growth reading and listening to various books because I was battling something that had kept me from doing anything  I had ever wanted to do for the better part of 2005 - 2016. Crippling Anxiety. It wasn't anxiety towards youtube but rather everything in life. And that has been the biggest process trying to survive. Looking back I think you really have to have a deep yearning and the will to allow yourself to dream and dream big, to give yourself permission to live. I kept pushing to find resources to help me focus, to help me dream, to help me take action, to get myself excited and pumped to execute my dreams.

​So in the process of working on my personal growth I read books like
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#Girl Boss
Vlog Like a Boss
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Your One Word

She Means Business
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​Crushing It
 Stop Saying You're Fine
​
 The 5 Second Rule
Lessons from Madame Chic
​
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
The list goes on. These are a few of the books that meant something to me, significantly impacting me, getting me excited, pumping me up and more importantly, stories and people I could relate to. 

Podcasts I listen to
​In my personal growth, I continue to keep things positive and productive in my life on a daily basis and there are podcasts that help me do just that. 
​
​The Gary Vee Audio Experience
She Means Business Podcast
Vlog Boss Radio

​
Next Level Living
The Influencer Podcast
Pro Blogger Podcast
Just to name a few.

Gratitude
When things still attempt to overwhelm me there's been one thing that has helped me overcome. Gratitude. Being grateful is immensly powerful. It releases me to be at peace once again. But let me mention the different ways gratitude can change everything. 
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As written in Psychology Today
​
​​Gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kindly, according to a 2012 study by the University of Kentucky. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge. Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces social comparisons. Rather than becoming resentful toward people who have more money or better jobs—a major factor in reduced self-esteem—grateful people are able to appreciate other people’s accomplishments. For years, research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma. We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. Rather than complain about the things you think you deserve, take a few moments to focus on all that you have. Developing an “attitude of gratitude” is one of the simplest ways to improve your  life.
So in my life gratitude definitely has it's place. Especially when thoughts and emotions try to overwhelm me. I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for my daughters' lives. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for our home, food to eat, the car .. I mean everything. There is so many tools and ways to be more consciously grateful and I encourage you to find the tools that will help you personally.
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This is The Five Minute Journal, in case you haven't heard of it. If you know me, you won't be surprised to know I have this journal both in a physical book and in the app. It's a quick, easy and fun way to prompt gratefulness at the beginning of my day and to consciously take note of how I'm doing at the end of my day. I love this concept and the way it was made and I certainly love the authors. And they made one for kids too!!

Exercise and Nutrition
My last tip because I didn't mean to write a novel...
I don't believe there's anything that can replace what exercising does for me.  If nothing else I would start here. Work out. 

An article from Frontiers in Psychiatry in The 
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine states that:
The beneficial effects of regular physical activity on health are indisputable in the field of modern medicine. Exercise is often the first step in lifestyle modifications... Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that exercise improves one’s self-esteem, and a sense of wellbeing... Adults who engage in regular physical activity experience fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, thus supporting the notion that exercise offers a protective effect against the development of mental disorders... There is strong evidence that exercise and regular activity positively impacts the pathophysiological processes of anxiety. Numerous studies and meta-analyses show that exercise is also associated with reduced anxiety in clinical settings. Physical activity positively impacts a number of biological, as well as psychological, mechanisms.
But do we really need an article from the National Library of Medicine to tell us that exercise is good for us? Although it can be daunting and regrettably skipped every single day as a perfectly good treadmill, reasonably priced group workouts or literally the sidewalk staring at you in the face, knowing it could possibly change everything for you... Isn't worth your best effort?

​I personally weight train in a group workout twice a week. And I belly dance on the weekends...
I plan to increase this because I have loved what this alone has done for me mentally, emotionally and physically. Find what works for you. Nutrition will follow.
Just Start

Let's be clear that I am NOT an expert in any of this. I am an expert opinionater... (Thank you, Gary Vaynerchuk) And I'm sharing my story and what has been working for me. Never really saw myself talking about this but here I am and if my words and these resources that have helped me, can help you and push you to pick up that camera and just START, then everything is 1000000 % worth it.
​

​I currently have 25 videos uploaded now. It hasn't been easy or consistent or niched down. But I'm doing it. Putting myself in front of the camera more everytime. Now, it's a matter of organizing all the amazing things I get to do. Everything comes with practice. We all have our own journey but the key is to keep pushing for what you want even when everything goes wrong, keep pushing.​
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Now, my heart is exploding with the urgency to create. Exploding.
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ps
Look out for my coming more light hearted, get to know me posts from 360 Blog Topic Ideas! Consider joining me ?
​*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
53 Comments

The Mystery Blogger Award

1/5/2018

0 Comments

 
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What is the Mystery Blogger Award? 
The Award was originally created by Okoto Enigma. Clicking the link will take you to her original post where you can find out more information about the Award. The intent of the Award is to award bloggers for their content and let them know that their work is appreciated.
​

Rules
1. Put the award logo in your post
2. Thank the person who nominated you, include a link to the post.
3. Mention the creator of the award, include a link to the blog.
4. List three things about you
5. Nominate 10 people
6. Notify the nominees by a blog comment
7. Ask your nominee 5 questions with one funny question
8. Share links to your best posts
Thank youuuu to AmandaStyleBeauty for the nomination! And more importantly, thanks for putting that itch back on me to start blogging again! Nothing motivates more than watching more of your friends doing it!
Questions

1. What inspires you?
OH. Life. I mean real life, watching people living their truest self. No Filters and 100% laughter.
But also a crap load of reminders, notebooks, planners, sticky notes, alerts, inspirational speakers, podcasts, strategy guides, print outs, motivational quotes and plenty of accountability to keep me inspired.  Just being real. Anxiety is no joke.

2. What are your hobbies?
Learning. Always learning. Always a student. Frolicking about. Capturing Life. Chasing dreams. But also Netflix and Amazon Video. I definitely like Amazon Video more... Don't forget the coffee.

3.  What's your most embarrassing moment EVER?
You know I can't think of more embarrassing moments than your regular  being made fun of by your own Mexican family because there was nothing better to do but to make fun of you. Anyone else? #growingupmexican

4. What goals do you have for the new year?

 My husband and I work as a team creating our content together and we really want to grow our Blog  and our Youtube Channels this year. We've started an editorial calendar and family schedule! And starting this year we'll begin to post our content weekly. We also want to take a trip abroad. Experience new and exciting things! 

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

2023!!! AHHHH!!! 
Three Facts About Me
1. I was born in Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico. 

2. I'm a Belly Dancer.

​3. I'm part Asian!!!!
Questions for you
1. What is at the heart of your content?

2. How do you want your readers to feel?

3. Is there anyone you would love to collaborate with?

4. Who has impacted you the most ?

5. What is the most ridiculous fact you know?

Bonus
* In 1 sentence, sum up your life.
Nominees 

Jacqueline K 
Elaina Conklin
Kristen Stadsvold
Happy New Years Everyone! 
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