No one else can do it but you!

Wishing you all a happy Giving Tuesday. Today has been a day of charity, generosity and goodwill. I'm noticing on TV that everyone is advertising who they're partnered with. Who they recommend you give your money, supplies or time to. Volunteers for these organizations promoting the message of doing good in the community. Another thing I noticed is that no one spoke of you, the individual. You, the person. You, the party that they're trying to engage. So I've got a little message for you. No one on this earth is like you. No one talks like you. No one walks like you. No one thinks like you. No one has the abilities or the capabilities that you have. When I saw this particular picture, it reall shook me to my core. You have a unique fingerprint. Your fingerprints identify you as a person. The police use it when investigating crimes. Companies use it to investigate you when you're applying for a job. They actually build appliances now to be fingerprint resistent so that you're not smudging or leaving your mark. People fail to realize that you hold the key. You hold the power. Now people always say "what can I as an individual do?" Actually quite a lot. Individuals change the world. When you look at biblical times, one man changed the world. And 12 others turned the world upside down for that one man. When you look at history, you don't see groups of people listed. You see in particular the names of the people who historians feel have contributed the most to our lifetime. That name could be you. You have a dream. You have a goal. You have a purpose and no one can make that come to pass like you can. No one has been blessed with the vision that you have. No one has the hunger, the drive the energy to complete what it is that you want to do. Whether it's creating a company that will take over the world, or creating a family with solid upstanding citizens, or aiming to be the top criminal enterprise. No matter what you do, be the best. There's so many motivational speakers out there. There's so many preachers out there. There's so many people online on social media with this kind of positive viewpoint and attitude. There are fundamental truths in what they're saying. People give their power away daily and refuse to pick it up. They would rather buy into the notion that someone else can do it. Someone else would be better. Someone else would be smarter. Someone else would be wiser. People lack the confidence to stand in who they are. Whether it be on a mountaintop or a molehill, let the world know you exist. You matter. Live your truth. Everybody has champagne dreams. Some of these reality shows paint a picture of this high flying, fast moving lifestyle that people aspire to. Yet it's not an everyday thing. And most people live their everyday lives doing their everyday things going about their everyday activities without even tapping to the higher level or that higher resource. So what are you giving to yourself? Are you giving yourself your dreams? Are you giving yourself the opportunity to level up? Are you giving yourself benchmarks to mark your progress towards achieving your goals? This has definitely been a theme this week. And this has been part of my inspiration for blogging. I want to make sure that we as a people, a society, a community can rise up together to our fullest potential. We need to strive to live the purple life. Doing what your purposed to do on Earth will certainly take you to a different existence. Please share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

You can do ANYTHING!

Hello everyone. It is Cyber Monday and I mean you all are chopping up a storm. Online sales have been going through the roof and we're only halfway through the day. I know you guys are closing in on that midnight buzzers so I won't keep you long. I just wanted to write about my motivation to get back into writing. I saw this quote on someone else's page and sometimes you just need that reminder. You can do anything! When you clear your mind, clear temptations, clear distractions, you're unstoppable. We have a tendency to forget that, especially when you have others involved or you live with other people in your home. It's so easy to get distracted even when you have pets. Everyone has a need that they pull on you for. Sometimes it's just hard to be quiet, be still and really focus on what it is that you're trying to accomplish. A lot of the memes online talk about disappearing for six months. But what happens when you have to show up every day? What happens when you aren't the only person that you're caring for? This is a real dilemma in this pandemic where people who weren't normally together have sheltered in place together. Surviving in this environment is by any means necessary. Distractions can happen and people just get off course. One of the things that I want to highlight is the fact that there are ways to curb those distractions and curb those obstacles that pop up. We must minimize those things that prevent you from doing your best work. Some of the hints that I've found are listed below:

1. Remove Bad Habits.
2. Declutter Your Mind.
3. Clarify Your Day Before You Start.
4. Prepare Your Workplace.
5. Zen Your Computer.
6. Set Your Time.
7. Solidify Your Attitude.
8. Close the Door.
9. Manage Your Tasks.

Admittedly, I'm easily distracted. It doesn't take much for me to get off track, especially while recovering from surgery. But now we're coming to a time where you have to keep moving. Keep your shoulder to the grindstone. You have to keep that mentality up. You have to keep doing what you need to do to accomplish your goals in life. These new variants of COVID is letting you know life is short. If there's something that you want to accomplish, now is the time. Tomorrow is not promised. You don't have any guarantee for anything happening in the future. Jobs that used to be stable are now folding. Jobs that weren't even in existence 10 years ago are thriving. Entrepreneurship has gone up many fold because people can't rely on what they used to do. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result. So what are you willing to adjust to achieve the dreams that you have? What are you going to take and turn around in your life? What possible motive do you have to step up to the next level? Keep your mindset. Keep your focus. You can do anything that you put your mind, heart and soul into. Generally, the inspirations that we receive are God given and we are fully equipped by God to achieve them. So never downplay what it is you bring to the table because you are the one who has the vision. You are the one that can make it happen. If you believe it, you can and will receive it. Please leave your comments below. I want to thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Resting In God and His Recovery Process

Happy Sunday everyone. It has been a while since I've written to you so I just wanted to check in. I had outpatient surgery a few weeks ago, and I took the time to give my body a chance. I'm certainly on the mend and I am still healing. Its a long road to recovery but so many things have happened. I just couldn't stay away from blogging about what's going on. This weekend has been particularly special because of the Thanksgiving holiday. This is the first weekend where I'm actually taking care of myself. My family has been so supportive, with their calls, visits, and care of me. I truly got the chance to rest while I'm recovering which took me to a very special place. Being by myself has gotten me that much closer to God. I really saw His hand during this recovery process because I couldn't do anything else. My family would not allow me to lift a finger or exert any energy. It was all about rest, recovery, renewal, refreshing and realizing how serious health issues can be. As women we have a tendency to take on a lot of pain that we don't need to as human beings we want to push the limit. We want to make sure to maximize every moment and optimize our time. We're getting as much as possible done as efficiently as possible. But what if you're just wrong? What if you're just going the wrong way? What if you were headed towards the edge of a cliff, but you don't see the drop? That's when God steps in. When we get too far off track, He recalibrates us, He will cause things to happen that will clarify our vision. He will take those distractions away and he will redirect you to your right path. He shows you the way that He wants you to go and the things that He wants you to do. Literally, my vision was off and He restored my focus again. It's a very painful, ugly transition to heal, but I'm on my way. The recovery process is under God's control. He returned me to His plan for my life. He returned me to His vision as far as what He sees in my life. And now I see it too. Sometimes you have to get an alignment. You need to stop the actions that aren't working for you and focus on what is. We need to make that adjustment. Our bodies will let us know when we have overextended ourselves. There's a lot of talk about self care, especially during a pandemic. It seems like the weekend warrior has turned into the self care survivor and we need to submit to that. Our health is our wealth. The Bible talks about what does it profit the man to gain whole world and lose their soul? So think about it. What will it profit you if you have all this money, but you have to spend it on getting your health back? No one wants you to work yourself into a frazzle. If you dropped dead today, your job would be posted before your obituary. Is that what you are working so hard for? Or do you want to enter into God's rest? Do you want to make sure that you are being the best you can be? Are you in God's plan and His will? Are you under His covering with His protection for your life? Do you find it easier to be in alignment with God? Or do you bump your head along the way thinking that you can do better? Just some simple truths for you to take in. I had to take inventory during my rest and recovery process. Don't wait until an involuntary situation or the end of your health or the end of your rope to get it together. Take these tips as you can and move forward. I certainly want to hear your thoughts. Please share your comments below. Thank you for supporting this blog space and reading this article. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Prince's 10 Rules For Success

Happy Saturday! Hoping your weekend is going well. It's time to Fall Back and enjoy that extra hour of sleep. While researching for the Success series of articles, I found an interesting perspective on Prince.What kind of music do you listen to? His catalog stretches across all genres and affects all generations. His passion for performing drove him to technical excellence.  Prince controlled the sounds and settings of his recordings to produce quality product. His fans are loyal even beyond his untimely death in April 2016. Prince mentored many young artists (mostly female) on the tricks of the trade and music industry. Prince was a child prodigy who learned and played all instruments. Most importantly, he maintained all creative control of his product. Prince perfected a winning formula that he replicated with the Minnesota Sound. With his experience, Prince was able to expand his musical empire for decades to come. So how did he suceed? By following these principles:

1. CREATE FROM THE HEART

2. KEEP GROWING

3. DON'T CRITICIZE

4. LEARN FROM THE BEST

5. LOVE

6. UPLIFT OTHERS

7. DON'T CARE WHAT OTHERS SAY

8. HAVE ROLE MODELS

9. CREATE TRUE ART

10. BE YOURSELF

Prince was a skilled businessman. He negotiated his contracts at age 17. When it no longer served him, he self-published and self-promoter his music. He was the first artist to sell his music online. He was the first artist to give his CD to concert goers. He was the first artist to co-brand his music with print media. He made much of his millions in concert sales. Artists are still following in his footsteps to maintain their livelihood and profitability. 

Prince spoke volumes in his songs. His lyrical genius displayed bold, thoughtful, and futuristic knowledge. Fans felt included in his fiercely private world. Prince used his musicality to translate his message to the masses and gain their fandom. His legacy will live forever as even more followers are introduced to his published works. Prince was welcomed with open arms and held in high esteem by many. His musicianship gave credence to his status as a mega superstar. So can you use his secrets of success? How can you incorporate these principles  into your processes? Please share your comments below. Thanks for reading this article and supporting this blogspace. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

A Measure Of Success

Happy Friday Everyone. We as a nation memorialized General Colin Powell today in DC. I watched this moving ceremony filled with hopes, memories, and prayers for the former Secretary Of State. His wife greeted those in the cathedral, but she specifically hugged and kissed Michelle Obama. To me, this is the example of success. Neither of these wives were steeped in politics, and they represent different political parties. Mrs. Obama maintained neutrality during her years as the First Lady. A devout Christian from the south side of Chicago, she was very accomplished in her career. She had her reservations  but she supported her husband on his endeavors. When it came to relating with people, she could literally go anywhere in the state of Illinois. She could relate to the people based on her upbringing. Based on her experiences, she gained this respect on a statewide platform. She helped to build the momentum of his candidacy and terms in office. How? Michelle said early in the campaign that Barack confidently convinced her that he could win. Mr. Obama was interviewed and stated "We had determined that I could win. We determined that the family could probably survive it, even if it wasn't Michelle's preference,"  She supported him 100% and helped his campaign and watch the growth and  groundswell. Barack succeeded because he had people who believed in him. People who believed in the work that he had to do. People who chanted the slogan yes we can. And Michelle promoted the commonality of the White House as the people's house.  She always spoke to little people. She always spoke to the kids. She spoke to queens and heads of state. She spoke to everyone from her platform which was intertwined with his. She still speaks to the people, and serves as a role model for women everywhere. Mr and Mrs Obama are equally yoked.  They are devout Christians who believed in themselves and had the fortitude to reach their goals. Ideally, you want someone who you can share your ideas with. You want someone who allows you to be your individual self... your best self. You want someone recognizes your purpose and who's going to bring that out of you. You certainly want to conform yourself with God's plan. This was truly one of the keys to her success. As stated previously, I will reveal to you some of the things that I'm discovering what is considered successful. Highlighting some of the ways that others have used, you can determine success for yourself. There's nothing wrong with global and critical acclaim, but having that personal satisfaction of knowing that you've accomplished what you came to this or to do is certainly something that is masterful. Again, I turn the table on you. What are your keys to success? What do you feel is the pinnacle of success? What is the goal that you're aiming for? And what are the steps that you're taking to accomplish that? These are the things that you need to figure out in your own success. So if you were to write a success story, what would it be? Certainly want you to share your thoughts below. I want to thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

YOU MUST LEARN!

Today is Thursday, November 4. On this date 13 years ago, Barack Obama was elected the first black president of the United States. I can't think of a better success story than the one that he has. He is the epitome of the Americam dream. As someone who came from Hawaii, educated at Harvard, and settled here in Chicago, his story is one of international proportions. Being an educated black men coming to Chicago, I'm sure was quite a shock for him. He was mentored by our sainted Bishop Arthur M. Brazier. One of the things that I really appreciate is the fact that his heart was drawn to working with the community.  Barack always talks about his very first attempt at getting elected. He tried to unseat the very popular Bobby Rush. He says it was a shellacking. It was an absolute slaughter. But he learned. He learned from the failure. He learned from that mistake. He learned from the communities around him. He learned how to navigate politics. He was able to bounce back from the crushing defeat, to still build a very solid resume in politics. He was able to gain and garner support from the community. As a devout Christian, he made sure that it was inclusive. Based on his experiences in gaining this respect, he was able to take this on a statewide platform. He built his momentum. And when you look at Barak Obama, you can see that he is a man of teamwork. He assembled the best and brightest minds around him to make sure that he advanced to the next level. Barack made sure to get people who were at the top of their craft, and he made sure to do things that were out of the box and extraordinary. Barack was not about being archaic nor about the status quo. If anything, he was about taking the norms and smashing them into pieces. The little black kid with a funny name took over the world... and it's still his oyster. And he is still relevant. Barack survived all the racist and religious attacks on his character, and became one of the most beloved leaders in the 21st century. What I always tell people when you're thinking about your successes, is that you must learn. Learn about failures. Learn about wins. And keep winning. You want someone to mentor you that you can learn from. You want a team who you can share your ideas with and improve upon.  When you learn to do better, do better. Learning was truly one of the keys to Barack's success. Now I turn the table on you. What are your keys to success? What do you feel is the pinnacle of success? What is the goal that you're aiming for? What are the steps that you're taking to accomplish that? These are the things that you need to learn in your own success. Learning is life long and will always add to your story. Share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blogspace. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

The Mentality Of Mentorship

Happy Hump Day. What is your motivation level today? Does your energy level match or exceed your mindset? I saw this meme about success that stirred my heart and chilled me to the core. Scarface is a fictionalized character who grew from a petty street thug to a drug kingpin. Life has proven that this gangster mentality leads to death or jailed, often by those "partners" in crime. That is one of the reasons why I want to do a series on success. Not only the steps you can take to be successful, but taking advice from the athletes who we hold to that standard who have a definite win loss record. Let me start with this piece of advice. Do not allow the limiting beliefs of others to stifle your growth. Generally, the mentor will challenge your work as an observer. Sometimes, people are willing but ineffective in helping you reach your goals. Some are interested in the subject, but their expertise is in a different field. Some want attention and idolization to  inflate their own egos. Some secretly dislike you and choose to sabotage, mislead, steal and destroy your work.. No matter how you try to sway the minds or the message, they just want to infuse their own agenda and reap the benefits of your association. So what do you do? How do you maintain your dignity and your success while quashing the potential distractions? I got these tips for choosing a mentor from several resourcing.

1. Find someone you want to be like and study them.

2. Let the relationship evolve organically over time.

3. Don't check out when you feel challenged.

4. Ask your mentor for feedback

5. Commit to the process

I implore you to put these tips into practice as you face your own challenges. You see, almost all success stories are based on someone perfecting, reimagining or creating a completely new product and new process to go with it. You certainly want to be on the winning side of these creations and the winning side of this creativity. Mentors help to shape and navigate pitfalls in the process. Recognize that they can only come from their knowledge levels and experiences. Everyone has a different skillset and approach matters in ways they've learned. That's why it's important to know who surrounds you and who supports you. What have you worked through? Any experience with a mentor? Was it good? Bad? Or ugly?  So I'm really looking forward to sharing these ideals of success with you. Please share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blogspace. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

You Are What You Believe

Happy Tuesday Everyone. Today has truly been a spectacular day wearherwise. One of the things that I am excited about is this new series that I am blogging about... SUCCESS. I was inspired by a quote that I had seen on someone's Instagram page. The quote started talking about the journey to success. We don't really dive into this topic as much as individuals. We see a lot of quotes that are posted. We see a lot of memes that people create. We hear talks around old cliches reimagined for the pandemic. But no one ever really gives you the formula, steps or blueprint to map it out. So how can you be successful? How do you attain and maintain success? Most people have no idea how to do so. They try to deflect your goals, dreams and ambitions in a way of tampening your efforts. Raining on your parade. Giving you a reality check. People project their limits on you because you choose to follow your dream. Rather than going the normal route, you dare to differentiate yourself. When you look at all the history makers, these are all people who went off the beaten path. Inovators who forged their way through into a new environment, a new territory and beat the odds. Let's face it. That's the American story. Or at least the American Dream that they want you to buy into. I concur- you don't want to follow anyone else's downgrades on your life. Oftentimes, parents will tell their children's things based on their own life experiences and hardships. Due to their regional upbrining, they project outdated mores on their children. So you'll find that many fears like racist beliefs are passed down from generation to generation. Also, coping mechanisms have been passed down from generation to generation to deal with these racist ideologies... often in a submissive format in order to stay alive. Society claims that we know better here in 2021 but we see these types of interactions rearing their ugly heads again. We also see that Millennials are rejecting these old notions. I'm not going to say that it's a power struggle, but most Millennials are not accepting the status quo. They are not submitting to the norm of working 40 years at a company to get a pension. Millenials are actually creating their own path using social media to forward their goals and making millions doing it. They are actually making more than the limiting beliefs that their parents, grandparents and others tried to place on them. Surprisingly, even some of the old dogs are learning new tricks.  Career professionals are also doing things differently by using technology to their advantage. Innovative individuals are reaping the benefits and creating the success stories in the news and social media. Do not allow the limiting beliefs of others to stifle your growth. Don't allow your perceived weaknesses halt your advancement or box you into a place where you can't grow out of. You were meant to thrive. You are meant to survive. You were meant to win. You were meant to rise to new levels. Be a shining example of perseverance and overcoming. You were meant to succeed at all costs. For those of you who practice religion, you know that God has placed the success within. God has a plan for your life. And God will continue to bless you throughout the trials, struggles, ups, downs, wins and losses. Ultimately everything works for your good to them who love the Lord. Now again, I want to share some success strategies and stories with you. And I want to make sure that I hear from you. What is it that you need in order to push forward? To succeed in your life and on your terms? Please share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Commemorating National Author's Day

Happy Monday Everyone. Today is November 1 and a very little known holiday. Its National Authors Day! We've just come out of the month of October and we are winding up the year of 2021. Things appear to be on the upswing for many creatives. When I speak about my journey, I have been meeting with authors, publishers, and other industry entities. I enjoy taking courses, really just pouring my heart out in these sessions. At seminars, I expess my desire to write. I've got several book ideas in my head. All I need to do now is to put them out and get them published. So many of my friends have self published. Several have actual book deals. They go out and lecture and promote and such. I have enjoyed them all and I wish them all the greatest of success. I want to share that joy with you. You want to support the artists that you love. You also want to support the up and coming artists as well. You want to make sure that you give them the courage, energy, and strength to move forward. Supporting writers, bloggers and content creators insures that fresh perspectives are nurtured and grown. Let's commemorate the fact that so many people along life's journey are deciding to embrace their creative side. They are pursuing what they've dreamed of in their hearts. I remember speaking with a young lady who said that she had been working on her book for 20 years... and she still hasn't published anything. However, as a businesswoman, she is very very active on her Facebook page. Social media has definitely opened options for those of us who want to write.  You can go at your own pace and write from a wide variety of subjects.  Being an author is very important as we give levity and clarity to the subjects at hand. We also encourage discussions. We encourage research. We encourage the opening of the mind to hear a different perspective about societal norm or justice. During this pandemic, nothing is normal about our society. Nothing is normal about our world. We need the diversity of perspective in order to regenerate what we do as a people. One of the things you notice again on social media is that those who stand out are those who get recognized. Those who are boring, plain, cookie cutter clones tend to fall by the wayside very quickly. I was looking at a recent survey and they stated that the majority of writers who fail actually fail because they're trying to copy someone else's style. Those writers who are truly setting the benchmark are those who are doing their own thing. They tap into their own creativity, and they tap into their own niche. People are drawn to the genre that they highlight- which makes them the top booksellers. So we want to give honor, where honor is due. We want to let these authors know that you have taken us to places where we would never go on our own. During this pandemic, you have opened up our imaginations. You have fact checked. You have done the work and we salute you. We appreciate you. We encourage you give us more content that we make gobble it up and share it with those around us. Your viewpoint influences our viewpoint which shapes the world. Please share your comments below. Thank you for supporting this blog space and reading this article. Stay safe, masked and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!