Summer is an interesting time.  Sometimes the heat is so unbearable that we often sacrifice style for comfort.  The hotter it is outside, the more I dress down.  Dressing down is great but sometimes you still want to look a bit more polished.  I'm putting together ideas on simple, easy to execute looks that seem completely effortless but look well put together.

While looking for inspiration, I found a simple outfit combination that looks great on pretty much everyone.  It's perfect for casual lunches or errand days. All you have to do is follow one simple fashion rule.

If you've struggled to alter your diet to lose a little bit of weight, I may have some good news for you.  Perhaps you've eaten properly for a short time, then fall into bad habits again.  Maybe your diet consists of sensible meals but you're still not able to drop stubborn pounds.  In either case, maybe your best bet to fat burning is by changing your strategy entirely. 

Every Monday I like to identify a pattern of behavior that no longer serves me.  These are the behaviors that hold me back from reaching my greatest potential.  One negative habit that I've identified is where I take forever to complete tasks on my list.

Part of the reason why I've allowed this habit to exist is because of the lack of consequences attached to my behavior.   I've been told in the past that I'm motivated by the fear of negative consequences and, with no repercussions in place, I've allowed my inaction to flourish.

Actually, the negative consequences exist.  They just haven't reached critical levels yet. Now I have to make a choice.  I can choose to continue as I have in hopes of delaying the inevitable or I can take a proactive approach and alter the outcome of my future starting now.

Every summer, I make it a priority to do whatever it takes to produce the healthiest looking skin possible.  Unfortunately, the last few months have been a little hectic and I've slipped a little with my established skin habits. So my skin isn't as healthy and dewy looking as I would like.

Summer waits for no one. We still have to attend events, meet friends at outdoor cafes, go on dinner dates, etc.  We need to employ a quick and easy technique that transforms the skin almost instantly.

...and I think I have just the trick.

I'm very proud to proclaim that I over half a dozen various variations of red lipstick in my collection.  It took forever to find the shades that most complimented my skin but now I'm good.  Since my skin has improved, I love to rock the unexpected red lip with a toned down makeup look.

For summer, I want to adapt the red lip into something that's a bit more wearable on the daily basis.  Summer is all about effortless beauty.  That's why I'm such a huge fan of the sheer red lip.

When I first began my personal development journey, one mantra that I kept hearing about over and over was mastering the morning routine.  I've even written about morning rituals a few times on in the past.  Although you can customize a morning routine, most gurus suggest that we include a combination of gratitude, exercise, prayer/meditation and focusing on your daily goals.

I used to execute a rock solid morning routine.  And doing so made such a difference in the direction of my day (and life).  But over time, I wasn't as diligent about enforcing the morning ritual.  And, once you allow the morning ritual to slip through your fingers, a sense of guilt starts to set in. To combat this, I've developed an alternative that may be just as beneficial.

Every so often, I like to go for a long walk in nature while doing some reflection on my life.  From time to time, I receive a burst of inspiration on what I can do to impact my future.  Since I've recently entered a new decade, I wanted create a theme for the next 10 or so years.  Ultimately, I decided that my current focus for the years to come would be to manifest like crazy.

I've known about the law of attraction for quite some time and I've had plenty of opportunities to practice it.  Now is the time to really expand my ability and level of manifestation.  So far this year, I've come to realize how much impact my level of vibration has on my ability to attract.  I still set a daily intention of trying to feel good as much as possible and it has served me well.

This weekend I decided to take things to the next level by embodying what I wish to attract.

During the winter time, I make sure to drink multiple cups of tea a day.  When summer rolls around, I like to transition to lemon water.  Not only is it totally refreshing, there are a multitude of health benefits associated with drinking lemon infused water.

This year, I asked myself "is there anything I can add to my lemon water to make even more nutritious?"  It wasn't long before a bunch of ideas started running through my mind.  He's what I've come up with so far.

I love Mondays. 

This wasn't always the case.  Once upon a time, Mondays were the bane of my existence.  Fridays & Saturdays were always so amazing but by Sunday afternoon, a feeling of dread started to creep in.  I remember staying up late on Sunday nights in over to avoid the inevitable.  Eventually, the amount of anxiety that invaded my body on Sundays became unbearable. So I decided to implement a plan of action to turn the entire situation around.

One of my fantasy hairstyles is to one day have the perfect neck length bob.  It's flattering, chic, modern, and feminine.  The reason why I haven't quite taken the plunge is because I had this limiting belief that a neck length is pretty boring with few styling options.

The other day I stumbled on an Instagram page of a young lady who completely challenged my incorrect notion about short hair.  Although she's a makeup artist who predominantly posts beauty looks, the first thing that stood out to me was how gorgeous her hair was.  More importantly, she demonstrated the versatility of shorter length hair.

These last few months I've had a really busy schedule.  Typically this means weeks of takeout and unhealthy eating.  Thankfully, all of my digressions haven't resulted in extra weight gain.  But, it has taken a toll in a different way.  I feel like there's something missing on the inside.  Like the food is taking care of hunger but not much else. 

Typically, I reserve healthy eating for when the pounds start to accumulate but I realize that eating healthy has benefits beyond what's on the surface.  Sometimes we just need a reminder of all the reasons why eating a ton of fruits and veggies is a winning strategy for summer.