Life of BUY

My thoughts on the boycott… Okay, not really. These are my thoughts that came up as a result of the one day boycott….

Just to catch you up…. So in the US many people are pushing back against a new government structure that is leaning toward a racist, misogynistic, anti-anyone-who isn’t-a-caucasian-male, billionaire-run dictatorship. As a show of solidarity against this nonsense, many people joined in on a spend no money boycott on February 28, 2025. These people—myself included—didn’t spend a single dollar online, for gas, for food, for anything. It was just ONE day of not spending. And I realized something really unsettling….

Meme of an individual holding shopping bags while scrolling on their phone Text states: "We don’t even realize we’re being conditioned to buy. A one-day spending hiatus is a powerful tool for increasing our awareness of our habits of unnecessary spending.” Share & Let's Live! podcast watermark bottom right corner — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com/blog
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FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

Not spending money is hard. I was surprised at how many moments came up in that 24 hour period where I was about to spend some money, and remembered the boycott. I mean, all day I was having moments like… “I’m feeling a bit parched. Let me just pull into this drive through and grab a …. Oh, yeah.” OR “You know what I need? Let me just get on my Amazon app and order a… Damn. Tomorrow, then.”

And as I thought about it, I realized that what some people were saying was right. Having a one day boycott does send a message (if enough people participate). However, if we all rush to the store to stock up the day before, AND immediately go back to shopping as usual the day after, we kind of miss the point. And as business owners that study buying habits, they could easily anticipate the surge before and after and not shake that much.

However, for me, just taking that one day off helped me see the habit of spending. It helped me become aware of how often tapping (my debit card, not my pressure points) is my automatic go-to behavior. It’s like tapping is my cigarette break.

Most of us probably have no idea how many times we mindlessly create “solutions” to our “problems” by buying. And it made me really think about how the ease of spending, and the promoted desire to have a lush life, has lulled us into a habit of giving away every dollar that comes in…. and even to spend what we don’t have (i.e. credit, loans, borrowing others money to maintain a lifestyle, etc.).

Today’s podcast is NOT ABOUT ME JUDGING. It’s about me seeing the tendency in MYSELF and recognizing it, and sharing that same opportunity for awareness with you. I hope you’ll check it out. It was eye-opening for me. Maybe more came out of this boycott than we think.

Enjoy the podcast!

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

Who Are You Being in the Current Moment?

We don’t always realize how we tend to shift from one persona to another based on what we believe about ourselves in any given moment. For example, if we believe we are timid people pleasers, we will approach interpersonal conflicts differently than if we view ourselves as strong, independent thinkers who prioritize our needs.

Meme Image of strong lioness standing before her cubs. Text states: “We don’t realize that we are constantly shifting personas—thinking, then behaving, in ways that align with how we view ourselves. By becoming aware of this tendency, we can take control of our lives, and step into our power.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com/blog Share & Let's Live! podcast logo watermark in bottom right corner above website address
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

This morning I was listening to a previous podcast episode. In it I relearned the importance of being aware of who I am being in any given moment.

I’ll kinda give you an idea of how to do this. So in a moment, you ask yourself questions like:
– How do I view myself in relation to the current situation?
– Am I feeling empowered? Weak? Strong? Afraid? Worried? Confident?
– If I was my most empowered self, how would I view this situation?
– If I am certain that everything is gonna work out, would I feel like I do right now?

So, as I went through my morning, I found myself going into fear, anxiety, and doubt. And I started to think about these kinds of questions and shifted back into my power. I began to declare (in my mind) that “I am ______,” to support the morning that I wanted to experience.

For example, I shifted from “I am panicking,” “I am worrying,” and “I am expecting to be late,” to “I am arriving on time,” “I am dropping her off on time,” “I am expecting things to work out.” And as I shifted the energy within me, the energy around me shifted, and we arrived on time and all the “I am” statements I declared came true….

What we place behind, “I am” is so important. As we go through our days, let’s be more aware of who we are being, and shift accordingly to get the most out of our days.

I explain this more on today’s podcast. Check it out!

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

Raise Your Standards Unapologetically

I’ve reached a point in my life where alignment matters. If we don’t vibe, what are we even doing?

Meme Image of a road leading toward mountains in the distance and a sunset. Text states: “I’ve reached a point in my life where I value quality over quantity. Yeah, maybe we’ve been down for years, but we’re no longer aligned. If all we have in common is time and memories, this might be your exit.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist Share & Let's Live! Podcast logo watermark in the bottom right
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

With what’s going on the world, particularly in the US, I have reached a point where I don’t have the energy to keep people around me whose values conflict with mine. We can have differences of opinion, but we need to be aligned on basic human rights, love-centered leadership, etc. You can’t support the extermination of all that matters to me and we just continue to hang and just stay off those topics. I can’t stay off those topics. They’re impacting the day-to-day life of everyone who matters to me, myself included.

Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much here. Check out today’s podcast. It’s not about politics, it’s about alignment. At some point in our lives the quality of our relationships needs to outweigh the quantity. I’d rather get close to someone who I can vibe with than keep hanging on to and empty, shallow, surface level relationship that based purely off of memories. But you do you. You’ll “see” what I mean when you press play. So go ahead and do that. lol!

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

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My Most Empowering Podcast Ever

Today I was fresh from overcoming a tough situation and took the time to stop and acknowledge that I got through it.

Meme: Image of a mother and daughter. Little girl is wearing a big smile and yellow sweater, standing with her back against the wall. Mother has a pencil above her head and a small notebook (to keep her line straight) marking the girl's height on the wall. Text states: “You may not see all your progress, but you’ve grown. You’re handling & processing things so differently. You’re setting boundaries. You’re prioritizing your mental health. You’re holding yourself accountable. Celebrate your growth.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com Share & Let's Live! podcast logo watermark on the bottom right
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

How often do we nitpick and notice every little mistake? But how often do we acknowledge our small wins—the teeny tiny victories?

Today, I got on and talked about celebrating the microscopic progress. It matters. You are doing better than you think. And if you disagree with me, this podcast episode is for you. Press play.

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist