SPEAK IT! CLAIM IT! AFFIRM IT! JUNE'S BEST YOU CHALLENGE

Queen, it is that time of the month again. Time to debrief last month's #BestYouChallenge and learn about our next one. As we have had a lot of new Queens subscribe to the Phorbe Queendom lately, allow me to first break down what the monthly #BestYouChallenges are.

I introduced the #BestYouChallenge back in 2018. Our very first challenge being Set a Morning Routine in May. The premise is to create good habits that allow us to reach for the best version of ourselves. Success is not a destination or an accomplishment. If you look at it through that lens, then you will always be shooting for a moving target. Instead, we in the Phorbe Queendom, like to look at it as striving to always be better today, than we were yesterday.

Scientists have confirmed that it takes about twenty-one days to form a good habit. So, with that in mind, each of our monthly challenges run for twenty one days starting on either the 10th or the 11th. I am walking the walk during these challenges and not just talking about it. I complete the challenge along with you and document my progress on Instagram Stories via the PhorbeOfficial account.

Now that we have a quick run down of the Phorbe #BestYouChallenge , let's review last month's challenge.

Last Month's Challenge: Mindset Reset

Last month, I challenged the Phorbe Queendom to create a morning routine based off of my own routine that I have been practicing for about a year now. The goal was to help us get to know ourselves better and ultimately help improve our mindset through simple yet proven self-care exercises. I listed and explained the different parts of my morning routine. Your goal was to choose three elements and practice them every morning, around the same time for the duration of the challenge.

As this is something that I already do, it wasn't much of a challenge. #ImNotNewToThisImTrueToThis

So, instead breaking down my experience, I thought I'd take this opportunity to answer some Frequently Asked Questions.

1. How do you meditate?

The simplest way to get started is to follow along with free guided meditations from YouTube. This is my favorite way to meditate. I search for what's on my mind + guided meditation (i.e letting go of fear + guided meditation), choose one, get comfortable and follow the guide's instructions. This is great because if you have a good guide, they will tell you everything you need to know and walk you through the entire process. I love to use meditations from Power Thoughts Meditation Club, the Honest Guys and Rising Higher Meditation. For the best results use headphones. Also, it's important that you get into a position that is comfortable to you. I don't feel comfortable sitting up in meditating. So, I lie down when I do it.

2. What's the best way to start journaling?

There is no right or wrong way to journal. The goal is for you to get what your feeling out of your body and onto paper so that you can release it. I've found the easiest way to do this is by using stream of consciousness writing. I write longhand for three pages. Whatever comes to my brain at the time, I put on paper. If I can't think of what to write, I write: "I can't think of anything to write" over and over again until something comes. Trust me, something always comes up.

3. I don't have the money to purchase a daily devotional are there any free options?

Yes, I solely use apps for my daily devotionals. Three apps with free 21+ day devotionals that I've used in the past are She Reads Truth, Tandem, and the Bible app. In the past year, I have fallen in love with She Reads Truth and now that is the only app that I use.

Also if you google: "Download the Purpose Driven Life for free" you can find a free pdf of this famous devotional that has changed my life quite honestly. It helped me find my purpose and my three goals for life: to entertain, to inspire, and to end familial homelessness in America.

I hope that answers all of your questions about my morning routine. This is definitely something that has helped me stay focused and reach my goals. I will continue to practice well into my old age.

June's Best You Challenge

To add a bit of spice to last month's challenge for myself, I wanted to add saying affirmations in the mirror to help boost my confidence and self esteem. It's something I've been wanting to do for six months now, but I just haven't gotten a grip of it consistently yet. So, guess what? We are going to make speaking our best lives into existence a challenge.

If you're unfamiliar with affirmations, you can check out the blog post I did here that goes more in depth.

An affirmation is a tool you use to train your conscious and subconscious mind to always focus on your goals, even when you're doing something else. If you break down the word affirmation, affirm means to state as fact, the tion at the end signifies that it is verb; something you're doing. So, affirmation literally means to exert that something is real or is true.

An affirmation can be a goal spoken as if it is already completed. For example, I have a goal to reach 100 thousand TikTok followers by labor day. So, if I were to turn that goal into an affirmation, it would be:

It makes me happy that I get to spark joy and inspiration in my 100,00 TikTok followers every day.

Remember, if you can see it, you can achieve it. So when creating an affirmation from a goal, it's important that it's: 1. in present tense as if already completed and 2. as detailed as possible. Imagine your goal already accomplished. What do you feel? What do you see? What do you hear? Incorporate those thoughts into your affirmation.

An affirmation can also be a song or poem lyric, it can be a popular saying that you've heard that you want to make true in your life really anything. An example of this would be Young Baby Tate's song I am where the hook states:

I am healthy

I am wealthy

I am rich

I am that bitch

I am gonna go get that bag

and I am not going to take your shit

To find affirmations like these, search your favorite songs on your #PowerPlaylist, find lines from your favorite fictional characters, etc. The sky is the limit for this one.

Here are some examples of affirmations that I've come across that I would like to use for this challenge:

"I am booked"

"I have everything that I need"

"I don't chase..."

I also love the Instagram account @karmaandluck for great affirmations. Here's a few of my favorites:

As always, you can find affirmations on the Phorbe Official Instagram page and don't forget our Phorbe mantra:

This month, I challenge you to choose 10 affirmations and repeat them to yourself every morning throughout the duration of the challenge. That's it!

How to Join

We're starting a little bit late this month. The challenge will begin on June 13thh and run until July 3rd . On the 13th, I will post the challenge's cover photo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To join the challenge, send me a DM saying: "I'm In". Then make sure you check in weekly for accountability and the chance to win free giveaways! So Queens, what do you say? Are you ready to speak your best life into existence?

-Queen Maree

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 11, 2021