Self Esteem Advice Column

 Guess what's back??? - That's right!!! Dear Ashley Marie is back!! 
An advice column for girls everywhere!!!

Dear Busy girl,

Dry Shampoo is a GREAT alternative to washing your hair mid week.

Is your hair blonde or brunette?

BLONDE - sprinkle a little baby powder in your hand then take a big cheek brush 

and lightly brush the top of your hair with the powder, using your hands to massage it in!!

BRUNETTE - sprinkle a little mineral powder in your hand and do the same thing as above!!

Baby powder can't be used with brunette's or it will look like you have dandruff or something else crawling around in those beautiful locks!!

Good luck!

Sincerly, Ashley Marie

Because of Him - An Easter Reflection

#BecauseofHim

Faith is not faith until it has been tried. My faith has been tested on countless occasions but having gone through these trials and experiences, I have every bit of faith in the world that Jesus Christ died for every single person on this earth and he sacrificed so much pain and sorrow so that we can have second chances.

There has been many many things that I have wanted in this life and worked very hard for and when they didn't come to be, my heart ached and I had moments of doubt wondering why I even try. Feeling all alone, discouraged and sometimes even forgotten. 

There has been relationships I tried to make work, sacrificing more than was spiritually or physically good for me, because I had absolutely every desire to show selfless love unto the Lord. I have competed in 9 different pageants and never walked away with the title I was seeking, hoping that was the mission that I had been called to do to serve the Lord.
I have reached out to others and gone out of my way to make people feel special, only to feel like I didn't fit in and would never feel apart of something.

Life is hard, and for each of us our trials are very different and very unique to our hearts. But these trials are real and God is aware of each and every single one of them. 

It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we can experience peace in our every day life, even through the trials we are facing. My faith has grown so strong and steady over the past year as I have practiced diligence in prayer, exercising faith by small and simple actions, by serving individuals one at a time and by coming to know what the atonement has to offer me. I have learned through my own experience that the atonement is SO REAL! It takes away fear, guilt, sorrow, loneliness, shame, agony, depression, and every other negative emotion you can fathom. 

Jesus Christ is my best friend. It has taken some time for me to truly get to know him but what a blessing it is to know that even if I was the only one on the planet, he would still be willing to come down and sacrifice and bleed and die just for me. That is how much he loves each and every single individual person, he is willing to do anything and everything for you to return to live with God again.

Because of him, I know peace and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Because of him, I have had the opportunity to start over and have been renewed.
Because of him, I can be with my future spouse and my family forever.
Because of him, I can overcome my weaknesses through his strength and atonement.
Because of him, I can draw on the powers of heaven when I need help.
Because of him, I am never alone through his unconditional love.
Because of him, my hope has been restored and my heart has been filled with mercy & grace.
Because of him, I can see things from a different perspective to know that this world is beautiful and I am here for purpose and this is not the end, but only the beginning to much better and brighter things.

5 Ways to be more Humble

Humility - "Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies. You can be both humble and fearless. You can be both humble and courageous...The Lord will strengthen you as you humble yourself before Him."
 - Quoted from True to the Faith

"God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:6,10)

"Humility leads to strength and not to weakness. It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and make amends to them." - John McCloy

"A true princess not only posses beauty but prizes her virtues, and always stays humble."

"Be Humble! Recognize that everything you have - your time, your talents and skills, your health and energy, your accomplishments, and your very lives - come as free gifts from your Father in Heaven. How grateful we ought to be for His goodness to us. How humble we ought to be to think that He knows who we are, and that He is waiting to guide our every step." - Gordon B. Hinckley - Way To Be! 

5 Ways to be more Humble

1. Look for the good in others
We are all very very different - but this is for a purpose! The qualities and traits you see in others can either be seen as a strength or a weakness. Always see them as a strength. Respect people that are different than you - for they always have something to offer and a lesson to teach you! Good exists in every single person and it will keep you humble when you are constantly searching and finding it in every one you come in contact with. For they are your brother and sister after all. They are a Child of God, see them as the Savior would see them. This takes practice and patience but along the journey, you will gain confidence in humility.

2. Gratitude Journal 
We all have so much to be grateful for. When you are constantly searching for things to be grateful for, you will find out how many blessings God sends your way on a daily basis. Realizing that blessing come from God allow you to focus on him and the Savior Jesus Christ and less on yourself. Give God the credit and find small and simple things that are HUGE blessings on a daily basis. Write down these blessings so you can keep track of all the tender mercies that bless your life. When you are having a hard day - you can turn through the pages and be humbled all over again.

3. Say Thank-You often
There are SO MANY opportunities to say Thank You! Look for them and then say it. Thank your parents, teachers, friends, leaders. Thank those that provide opportunities for you to serve. Thank Heavenly Father for being alive. Thank those that give compliments, gifts, love, support, sympathy. A thank you note a week will keep you humble and focused on everyone else around you!

4. Prayer
Turn to God with your problems - you can't do it all on your own and he doesn't expect you to! When you admit to Heavenly Father that you can't do it on your own and you need his help, he will be there for you when you need it the most. This life isn't easy, but he puts obstacles on our path so that we can remember that we will always need his help, love and guidance. Use prayer when you need happiness and peace in your life. 

5. SERVE
Service is the most amazing opportunity that God has given us to let the light of his shine through us. We can be servants and instruments in the hand's of God if you allow him to work through you. When you realize what gifts you have been given to share with others, and you embrace them with all your heart, humility starts to take over and you feel all your burdens being eased by lifting up others in the process. Get outside yourself and do what God is asking you to do.


Humility always takes more strength and courage which means it offers more blessings and always makes you the better person.

Personal Experience with Humility: I was at work the other day punching at least 1,000 pages of paper. The paper punches spilled all over the floor. I was slammed with work and feeling a bit stressed out. I was already wondering how I was going to accomplish all the tasks that lied before me. It was near the end of the day so I knew the building cleaners would be coming in a short time. I can't believe I even had this thought, but I wanted to just leave my mess behind and let the building cleaners take care of the mess for me. I was in a skirt and heels, why should I be the one to pick up the mess off the ground. Then Ashton Kutcher's speech crept into my mind. He said "I believe that opportunity looks a lot like hard work. I have never had a job in my life that I was better than. Every job is a stepping stone." I was definitely not "too good" to be picking up paper confetti off the ground. I made the mess, so I humbled myself...got down on my hands and knees and promptly took care of the mess. You know what the neatest part was? God blessed me, somehow I had enough time to finish all my work that evening. Humility is all I want to focus on as try to be more like my Savior. #becauseofhim