So, the holidays have come and gone. And with them the excitement and the stress of buying gifts, decorating and getting together with family and friends. As much as I enjoy the holidays and spending time with loved ones, I must admit, I am kinda happy to have the busy season behind us. I can finally focus and really concentrate on setting new goals and actually working towards achieving them!

This Week’s Hits are:

- Writing. I have been pretty horrible at updating the blog for the past few weeks, and I have no excuse, except for the bare truth: I have not had the motivation to write, which to me means I am at my lowest low. So the fact that it is Monday, a new day, a new week, and a fresh start and that I am actually writing is already a huge hit for me personally. =)

- Asking the Universe for what you want, in writing… If you have not yet seen the infamous documentary about the Powerful Law of Attraction, called The Secret, you have been missing out on life’s greatest truth and gifts. I highly, highly recommend you find the DVD and watch it as soon as you can!!! Although it has been commercialized and focuses mostly on material gains, at the core of it, it speaks of the truth about life: The Law of Attraction. And the powerful act of asking the Universe for what you really want, in a written format! Since watching The Secret I have been using that system and have more often than not, always gotten what I had asked for. It works life magic… Gives me chills just thinking about it!

Just recently, I have written down a new Profile for my Ideal Man, and what do you know, not even a month later, I have met a person who matches almost every category on my list. Only time can tell how far this relationship will develop, but the fact of the matter is, if you passionately ask the Universe for what you want and are Ready to receive it, it will deliver you that what you have asked for.

Every time.

No exceptions!

This Week’s Misses Are:

- Procrastinating. I have written about this problem of mine already. But the things is… it remains a big, negative factor that I deal with and work on continually. I think it stems from many things like laziness, choosing to stay within your comfort level and most importantly, it all comes down to FEAR!

Fear of rejection: What if I try and don’t succeed?

Fear of failure: What if I try and fail?

Fear of Success: What if I will succeed? Am I ready for it? Can I handle it?

My answer to how to beat the fear and go past it?

ACTION.

Act IN SPITE OF fear!

Find the strength within to do the VERY things that scare you to death. It is there… That strength that I am talking it.

It’s there.

Each and EVERY one of us has it within. What separates you or me from the likes of Bill Gates, Oprah, Nelson Mandela etc?!

We are all made up of the same blood and flesh, it is only the story we tell ourselves of who we are and what we can or cannot achieve that build those differences and separations between success and failure.

It is a constant work in progress, and I am NOWHERE near of reaching and achieving my goals.

But armed with this new and improved, positive attitude I know I can and I will. =)

Are you guys feeling inspired for the New Year? Are you pumped up to bring out your true potential? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I love reading them!

I’m excited to do my first ever Giveaway on Leyla’s Room today!

You could say, I am one of those people who enjoys giving gifts, more than I enjoy receiving them. To me, it’s the most exciting part, thinking of what that person wants, or needs and coming up with creative ideas to fulfill those wishes, and then of course, the feeling of anticipation before and right after the person opens the gift! Those are the reasons why I like giving gifts so much. Although it is true, if you don’t know the person well, it could be challenging selecting the right type of gift, but then there is always the generic things that anybody could use, like gift cards – impersonal, yes, convenient, also yes…

Since launching the blog 2 weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about doing a little giveaway. Just to show all of you, my lovely readers, how much I appreciate you taking the time and visiting my corner of the blogosphere from time to time.

I am the biggest advocate for keeping Journals for many reasons. I think it’s vital to keep some sort of a Journal where you take the time to reflect, to pour out your most intimate thoughts, ideas, feelings and yes, sometimes frustrations.

I’ve kept a journal for many, many years. I started when I was probably in grade 7 or 8, and although I have to admit I don’t write in it nearly as much as I feel I should, I am still so happy that I do. Because, let me you something, you think you remember who you were in the past, but we tend to sometimes exaggerate things in our memories, or downplay certain situations or experiences that happen to us. Or sometimes, we just simply forget some things that happened to us, or how we reacted. And it is honestly, such an interesting experience to sometimes re-read your past entries. When I do, it makes me smile, it makes me cry, it gives me a perspective into where I was and where I am today. It’s truly amazing, and by doing this Giveaway, I hope to encourage You as well, to start a Journal, and turn to its pages and share whatever is on your mind. I promise, you won’t regret.

Sometimes when I need advice on a certain situation, and I pick up my Journal and start writing, I get amazed at the kind of things that come out of me. Because we are all part of God, and are ONE with all that there is, we all have all the answers to our questions, and all the wisdom inside of us already. It is just a matter of connecting to that place. And I feel that keeping a Journal is the best way to do that, amongst other things, such as: alone time, time spent with nature, meditating, being active etc.

The Giveaway is the exact Journal pictured above. Here are the features:

- It’s simple but pretty
- Has a hard faux-leather-like cover
-  240 Lined Pages (to pour your heart out night after night)
- Ribbon Marker
- And the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in a Journal, it’s got a Storage Pocket at the back! (pictured above)

Here are the rules of how to Enter for this Giveaway – Please Read Carefully:

- Post a Comment in the field below, and tell me why you feel you want/need this Journal. One entry per person please

- The Giveaway is open Internationally and to all age groups.

- For an extra entry you can either follow me on Twitter or  tweet about the giveaway or blog about this giveaway, in all cases I will need the link as proof, so I can grant you an extra entry.

The giveaway closes on September 8 @ 12 pm EST. The winner will be announced on September 9.

Good Luck to You All & Remember, if you don’t Win this time, there will be more Giveaways in the future. I promise =)