EXCUSES.

I don't have time.

I'm doing the best I can.

No one will notice anyway.

I tried my hardest.

It just wasn't meant to be.

I'm just not lucky enough.

If my situation was different, I would.

Nothing drives me crazier than excuses.  Excuses tend to be little lies we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better about giving up on things that are hard, for doing things we shouldn't be doing, or for doing nothing at all.  What really bothers me though, is when I hear people belittling the hard work and success of others with excuses.  "They wouldn't be able to do that if it weren't for blah blah blah."  "Well I would be able to do all that too if blah blah blah".  How about this;  stop using others as a comparison by which you measure your own life and success? You should be your own standard by which you hold yourself accountable. Accomplishing goals and tackling your dreams is hard, period.  If it were easy, we'd all have the lives we envision, and the world would be without excuses.  

I have touched on the power of owning your mistakes and shortcomings, and I'm going to touch on it again because it goes hand in hand with excuses.  When you are lazy, acknowledge it, don't martyr yourself by saying "I'm doing the best I can", because are you??  Really??  I skipped a week of blogging because my time management skills were lacking last week.  Is that anyone else's fault but my own?  Absolutely not, I needed to pull it together, and I didn't.  Not a proud moment, but by acknowledging it, I can recognize that I have areas in my life that still need work.  But examining my shortcomings instead of excusing them, I give myself an opportunity to better myself., and that is what this blog is all about, realizing your full potential.

Don't place blame, it makes you look small.  People will criticize you when you succeed, because they are jealous.  They will make excuses for why your accomplishments are possible, but it won't matter.  The sound of personal triumph as a result of not giving up in the face of adversity sings so much louder than the static of the nay sayer.  So when you think, "I can't do it all" give yourself a mental smack in the face and PULL IT TOGETHER, of course you can!  Anything is possible, this is an amazing life we are given, it's up to you to make the most of every second.

Give to those in need, donate your time, build a business, be a great parent, be a role model, take up a hobby...  Do it all, because it's possible, and it's worth it.  You can, I promise.

Photo Credit: Sherry Sutton Photography

Pajama Pants aren't sexy.

I talk a lot about loving yourself, and owning your flaws, so why am I telling you to doll yourself up a bit when you leave the house(or sometimes even when you don't)?  When you know you look good, you naturally feel better about yourself.  When you feel better about yourself, you become confident, and confidence my friends, always fits, is always in style, and is ALWAYS sexy.

"I'm too busy to worry about being sexy, and I'm married anyway."  DING DING DING!  Your marriage should be every bit as important to you as your children.  I've had plenty of conversations with lots of different people, and it is clear that keeping things spicy with your partner is both the hardest, and the most important part to a happy relationship.  

We've all heard it said that you should "date your spouse", which I couldn't agree with more, but there is so much more to it than that.  Yes, it involves work, but it is so worth it.  Don't just seek to make your husband's jaw drop once a month for date night, find ways to make his jaw drop all the time (this goes for you too, guys).  Am I saying that you can't change into sweats at 5 o'clock after a long day?  Of course not,  but don't let it become a uniform.  You want your husband to look at you more often as a woman, than "the mother of his children".  Maintaining a genuine lust for each other after years of sleeping in the same bed is a keystone to a happy marriage.

"But he should love me even if I don't get dressed up or have makeup on."  Well of course he should!  However, think about what gets YOU in the mood.  Is it when he's just gotten ready to go out, he's smelling good, and freshly shaven, OR - is when he's half asleep on the couch with wing sauce around the corners of his mouth?  This isn't deep, people, it's actually very superficial, but it's also physiology   This is how we are hardwired, and if putting a little more time and effort into how you present yourself on a daily basis keeps your primal needs satisfied, then I say it's worth every minute.

The moral of the story is to remind your partner of what attracted them to you in the first place, and I'm not talking about your winning personality or your sense of humor.  No, I'm talking about the moment he laid his eyes on you and immediately wanted more.  So pull it together, ladies.  Take the time, make the effort, and keep it sexy.

Save the Drama for your Momma.

   Last week you got a little glimpse into the things that run through my head on a daily basis.  Basically, at least 3 times a day I find myself shaking my head and thinking "pull it together".  And let's be clear, I am in no way exempt from this advice, in fact, it's more of a personal mantra than a passed judgement.  That being said, what is our first official topic? Drama.

   Nothing makes you look more foolish than engaging in, creating, or enabling drama.  Who am I to offer advice on this subject?  A reformed, class A, record-breaking drama-queen. In my teens and early 20's I'm fairly certain I believed the earth revolved around me, and when life handed me a bad day? Well obviously it was the end of the world, and completely not my fault.  This mentality is the life-blood of drama.  So what's the first step to ridding your life of this character-sucking parasite?  Accountability.  Your situation, past, present, and future, is a direct result of your own actions and choices, no one else's.  If you are facing a pattern of "why me?", look to yourself for the answer.  Stop being a victim, step up and own your mistakes.  Fix them, accept them, and most importantly, learn from them.  This is the single most empowering thing you can do for yourself, because once you have accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.

   Second step: stop airing your dirty laundry!  Bad things happen to everyone, yes, true story.  What defines you as a drama-magnet, is letting the world know about everything that doesn't go your way.  We all have bad days, we all have obstacles, but I promise you that someone out there is silently fighting a much more serious battle than you are.  Who are you to complain on social media about your divorce, the cold you can't get rid of, or the friend that stabbed you in the back, when a child is sitting in a hospital fighting cancer, or a mother is working 3 jobs to make sure her children don't go hungry?  Perspective.  Every situation could be worse, so don't make yourself look small and selfish by complaining publicly about whatever yours might be at this moment.  Pull. It. Together.

   And finally, stop saying you hate drama to everyone you meet, chances are the more you talk about hating drama, the more you are personally responsible for it.  Drama is not an entity, it does not "follow" people, it is created.  If it "follows" you, consider the common denominator in all your dramatic situations - Y.O.U.

Until next week, remember to respect and love yourself enough to want to be better.  When things start to get tough, shake it off, clear your head, and pull it together.

<3 Amy

Introductions: Who I am, and what I'm about.

Kmart jeans, holiday hair haircuts, daily facebook pictures of your children, and public displays of pajama pants (PDPP - please remember this one). 

      Is this what it means to be a mom these days???  I see it everyday, women becoming moms and using it as an excuse to give up on themselves.  It hurts me to see this day in and day out.  You know who I'm talking about...  you drop your kids off at nursery school or t-ball practice, and the high-wasted capri pants mom squad, covertly staring you up and down out of the corner of their eye, are congregating and talking about play dates and the great bogo deal on laundry detergent, as if these are the only things mom-bots should care about.

Pull it together!

My name is Amy Cozze,  and I'm more than just a mom, and ya know what?  THAT'S OK.  While being a mom to my two amazing little boys, Jacob & Koen, is indeed my most important role on this earth, it's not my only one.  I'm 30 years old, a business owner, a wife, a friend, a free-spirit, an intellect, a dreamer, a fashionista, a philanthropist, an optimist, a hard-worker, and I'm pretty sure there are even more hats waiting for me in the future.   I'm sick of people using motherhood as an excuse to let themselves go, take pride in your appearance and in your contribution to the world around you.  Get up in the morning wanting to put the best version of yourself out there for the world to see, and do it unapologetically, not just for your kids or your husband, but for YOU.  Own yourself, love yourself, and for goodness sake, PULL IT TOGETHER.