ask brooklyn the third

Happy Monday blogging friends! I'm back with one of my favorite posts to write every month, Ask Brooklyn! There are too many questions for me to answer them all in one post this month, but I promise to let them roll over onto my next Ask Brooklyn post, because every question matters to me! Be sure to submit your questions HERE.

How are you such a good person? Does that question even make sense? I just want to know where to start.

This question brought me to tears. It made me want to start ranting about all my flaws. I have so many. I do consider myself a good person though. Want to know why? Because every day I'm trying to be a little better than I was yesterday. That's what being a good person is to me. I'm never a perfect wife, I get lazy at school sometimes, and I can spend way too much money on makeup and hair product. But that's not what matters. Set GOALS! It's almost New Year's. What a perfect time! Stop focusing on your faults and start accentuating your strengths. 

Start by spending an hour or so all alone. No phone, no music, no nothing. Just you and a pen and paper, and maybe a yummy drink. Evaluate your life, evaluate your friends, evaluate the way you spend you time. What do you love about you life? What do you want to change? And go from there. 

Do you think it's true that if you're not happy alone, you'll never be happy married?

I think there's a LOT of truth to that statement. To start though, I will admit that getting married HAS increased my happiness. But the things that make me happy as Mrs. Jolley are the things that made me happy BEFORE I was married. I trained myself with coping skills while I was single, I know when I'm having a bad day, I can turn to the usual things, cereal, bubble baths, Disney movies, etc. My husband does make me feel pretty dang good about myself, but my self esteem comes from within. If I totally relied on my husband for my self esteem, I'd be dead meat. He is a wonderful husband, but it's not his job to keep me happy all the time. I think that's my job. 

Getting married is not a cure-all. My personal belief is that happiness is a choice. And although that habit to choose happiness could be developed after marriage, I think learning it before marriage is a wise idea.

What can I do to make reading the Book of Mormon easier? I want to make it a habit but I don't know where to start.

Start small! Or start big! Whichever works for you. It only takes 21 days to form a habit. Link scripture reading with something you already do every day. Choose to always read after you brush your teeth, or while eating breakfast. Personally, I like challenges. Which is why I chose to do Brooklyn's Book of Mormon challenge. 20 pages a day is a TON of reading in the Book of Mormon. But having to read that many pages means I have to figure a way to clear at least a half hour of time out of my day simply to read. 

Want to make it fun? Buy a cute journal and fun pens. Take notes while you read your scriptures. Get a red pencil, and read through the Book of Mormon looking for something specific. Like references to Christ, question marks, examples of courage, etc. Then put a check mark by each example. By a mini Book of Mormon and carry it in your purse. Download the Gospel Library app and read it on your phone while waiting in lines. Find what works for you!

Any nail or hair care tips you've learned that you'd like to share?

I haven't learned too much about nail care yet, and the fact that I pick my cuticles like crazy probably means I am not really in a position to share those tips ;) But as for hair, here's three things I've learned.

1. If you've lightened your hair AT ALL, find a product with keratin in it. Lightening hair strips it of it's natural proteins, keratin puts them back in. But don't use the product more than once or twice a week, because strangely enough you can overproteinize hair and it will break off.

2. If you expect nice hair, you have to invest in it. I've always bought the cheapest cheap products and used heat on my hair every day. Choose one or two days a week to go heatless. Pull your hair up, wear it natural, or throw on a cute headband, but give your hair a break. And invest in good hair product! If you're looking for specific suggestions for your hair, feel free to email me at brooklynburton@hotmail.com and we'll talk product. I'm a hair product junkie.

3. Getting trims while trying to grow out your hair may seem counter productive, but if you get split ends a lot, trimming with help stop the split end from continuing up the hair shaft and ruining the entire strand of hair! Trims help!

WHAT SHOULD I GET MY MOM FOR CHRISTMAS?!?

First off, I'm totally loving the enthusiasm haha. I'd say a go to would be a girls night out with you. Give her a coupon for a free manicure night with you. Go pamper yourselves! Or give her a free night of babysitting if you have younger siblings. Other ideas, Walmart $5 chickflicks, Dove chocolate, nail polish in her favorite color, new jewelry!

What's your favorite Christmas movie?

Either Christmas With the Kranks or How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey. Those both make me laugh and put me in such a Christmasy mood!

Make it a good week lovelies!