Your Hope
So often we find ourselves putting our hope into perishable things. We hope our loved ones will live forever. We hope our brand new car does not get a dent in it. We hope we will never get fired. We hope our spouses will love us forever. We hope our baseball collection with be worth millions one day. We hope our brand new house will never have a leak in the roof.
Yesterday, I took sometime away to reflect on the progress I have made in my life thus far. In prayer, I asked God to reveal the core reason for any distress, anxiety, worry, fear or pain I have experienced over the past 10 years. I picked up a copy of my book and begin to re-read the chronological events of my life and my jaw dropped open. When my career in journalism failed and I learned that everything I thought to be true about the profession as it stands was a lie — I mentally broke down. I put my hope in a profession I believed would solidify me as a person…as a woman…as a human being. I could not handle the truth, so I ran away from it. I also put my hope in the “stability” of my marriage, my relationships with others, money, cars — you name it and my hope was in it. I did not want to believe that something I invested my heart, time, soul and energy in could/would betray me.
The truth is all things are perishable. Nothing, but God will last forever. Your loved ones, cars, jobs, the physical affection of another human being, a house, etc will eventually die or pass away. Deferred hope brings a broken heart.
The beautiful thing about this lesson is understanding that you can be fully dedicated to learn, love, and enjoy all of the things put in this earth as it is brought to you in various phases of your life. The key is understanding that it can be taken away from you at a moments notice. Furthermore, having the strength to let it go (without reservation) when it is time, and be able to appreciate and thank God for the significance it/they had in your life.
What is your hope in today?
Your Rights…
“Every human life counts. Your life counts. You have a right to live it as you choose, to follow your bliss. You have a right to seek satisfaction in accomplishment.”
Recession Proof
Your life is turned upside down because the world is in chaos. It feels like you have lost everything and you have no where to turn. Everything feels like it is getting harder and your mind is spinning out of control. You have lost all feeling of security and you don’t know if you are going to rebound. Right now you are out of your mind.
Everything that happens in the world is just an outward manifestation of the collective minds of the people who are in control and people who are being controlled. When you turn on the TV the first thing you see is another major corporation laying off 200,000 employees. You flip through the newspaper and you see people are dying in droves all over the world. The next thing you know, every person over the age of 18 living in your household looses their job. You lose your house. You lose your 401K plan. Your health starts to fail. Your sense of security has been shattered and the ONLY thing you can think about is returning to a life of normalcy. There is a solution to the recession.
Step back into your right mind. The framework of that mind is catering to things that make you smile from the inside. Begin to see yourself stable amidst the chaos. Begin to brainstorm creative ways to make it through the storm.
I decided to enjoy peace of mind by giving back. I am not financially rich, but sharing my wealth of information about blogging and Web 2.0 with others would suffice. I connected with other online friends who wanted to provide a similar service and we created, “The Resource.” It is a live conference course on branding yourself through Web 2.0. Providing this service has given me joy beyond anything I could ever imagine. Now my mind is focused on helping people return to a state of normalcy. Smile.
I am not sure what state of mind you are in, but I am sure your number one priority today is returning to a live of peace and harmony. Be recession proof, return to your right mind.
A Leader…Do You Really Want To Be One?
The path to leadership is a worthwhile process! Go through it the right way and you will understand my position. Though excitement consumes me — just in the mention of that phrase, it also puzzles me how I came to this understanding.
Ask yourself:
- What makes me the best?
- What knowledge do I possess?
- What knowledge am I willing to posses?
- What am I willing to sacrifice?
- Can I train and retain the best?
- Can I bring out the best talents, skills and creativity in someone else?
- What is my primary focus and vision?
- Do I have what it takes to be a mentor to someone else?
What Leaders Do!
- Real leaders understand the importance of cultivating the strengths and talents of people around them.
- Real leaders understand that they just might be a catalyst to groom and push “the next” great somebody to their place of purpose.
- Real leaders compromise for the greater good, reason and is understanding.
- Real leaders, groom other leaders and let them go. Shocking!!!!!
- Real leaders are secure in themselves and their innate ability to just BE.
What kind of leader are you?
Who Do You Think You Are?
The difference between those who are successful and those who are not is how a successful person thinks about things! It sounds simplistic but it’s true! A successful person’s self image is generated by how he of she thinks and the thoughts they fill their mind with. Successful people constantly fill their mind with thoughts of wealth, success, productivity and always look for solutions to problems in their particular endeavor.
I would submit to you that this constant reinforcement of positive images successful people place in their daily thought processes is a key motivating factor regarding their continued success. In essence, great thinking begets more great thinking! Images of wealth, success, affluence beget even more images of wealth, success and affluence. These images have a real affect on our conscience self and eventually become a self fulfilling prophecy!
Let’s talk about wealth for a moment. I will suggest to you that people who are wealthy today started thinking (at a very early age) about what they have, how much they want and what it would take to acquire the things they desire. Whereas someone who is poor, or has a poverty mentality fill their minds with being unable to afford things. They constantly think in terms of what they’re lacking; always talking and thinking about how little money they have and how they wish they could change their financial situation. They focus so much on how little money (or success) they lack that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy!
Start thinking like the successful (and rich) do! It’s not magic but it sure seems to work like magic! Consider this, if you want to become successful first find out how unsuccessful people think and avoid thinking in those ways. Then find out how successful people think, what they do, what books they read, what positive things influence their lives and how they spend their time. Find a book about someone who is successful, study their lives, read their stories. Attend motivational seminars or listen to audio CDs, listen to their words to get a real grasp on how they became successful! Now duplicate their thought processes, their actions, their motivations, what they talk about and what kind of people they associate with! Do the same things they do and you can enjoy the same fulfilling successful life and the rewards that come with it!
It is part of the human condition that those of us who want to become successful choose someone who we admire and aspire to be like. We learn from their life events, their stories, what they did to become successful. We do this with the hope that we can duplicate their successes! Some of us have been fortunate enough to have someone we admire personally mentor us! However, others who didn’t have such an opportunity found mentors through other means. Such as, books, audio CDs and seminars.
The simple truth is this, what separates those who constantly succeed in life from those who don’t is (above all) how they think!
So, how do you think? Or should I say, “Who do you think you are?”
Have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Sherita
Are you really free?
Freedom is a state of mind. Being free is more than a slogan! Real freedom is linked to happiness, love, fun, joy, strength and a peace of mind.
A week ago, I took my children to the park. As they ran through the park and played, I could not help to notice how happy they looked. My daughter said, “Mom, can we go to the park everyday and play around.” I looked at her with understanding eyes and said, “Sweetie, going to the park is an occasion to be enjoyed for the moment — it is not an everyday thing. She shrugged her shoulders and went off to enjoy the last remaining minutes of freedom she had left at the park.” For some reason, the way I responded to her and the way she looked at me bothered me to no end. Don’t get me wrong, I am not an advocate for just going to the park all day and forgetting about your responsibility. The element that alarmed me most was how much her freedom to have fun in the park was restricted.
I begin to think about my own childhood and how I was able to be happy doing the things I loved. As I grew older, the commands/demands came. People said, “You are an adult now, you have to go to college, go in debt, graduate and go straight into the workforce.” I accepted it. There were times when I was kinda happy, but not the way I felt when I was younger. I begin to talk to some of my friends and get their take on my bouts of anger. Hey …I wanted to make sure I was not the only one going out of my mind. They said, “Sherita, this is not something we are supposed to talk about, but we feel the same way you do, but we don’t know what to do about it.” Probing them more, I found out that they were not satisfied in their jobs, they were unmotivated, they procrastinated often, they hated what they did but kept doing it because it was the right thing to do for someone else. They wanted to please their boss, bill collector, family, friends, spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend. I wanted to scream to the top of my lungs. “Will somebody take a stand for their life and decide to be happy — no matter the cost?” Silence. Nothing. Complacency.
I encourage you, no matter who — or where you are in life — get to the bottom of you. Understand the world you live in. Educate yourself. Do what makes you happy. Stop falling in line to other people’s demands of your life. You are an individual being who possess the right to be who you were created to be — not conform to the rules and regulations of others. Personally, I have (paper) journaled for years. Writing down how I feel, what I have learned and what I want to change about myself has helped me tremendously. Also, going back to God and demanding straight answers is what really opened my eyes to a lot of things as well.
No matter how you live your life — remember it is your life!
Have a blessed Day…
Sherita
Tap Into Your Childhood
“About 300 million (American) people live 99% of their lives running on enculturation and zero thought, and the 1% that isn’t enculturation is conventional wisdom. Café Hayek.”
This quote should scare you. Most people will see this and shrug off their shoulders and keep things moving. Have you ever heard the verse “My people perish for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge.” Hosea 4:6
This means that 99% percent of the entire USA is gulible enough to accept ANYTHING that is being handed down to them. Rejecting knowledge also means that you will intentionally not research or look into things because then you are not responsible for what you don’t know. It is like sleeping around with a bunch of men and ignoring the fact that you missed your period for four months and you are starting to get fat. You tell all of your friends that you are just depressed, but some of them can see that your stomach is starting to form a little baby bump and suggest you should really get things checked out. You completely ignore their warnings. The next thing you know, 9 months have passed, you are in extream pain, you are running to the hospital, and you are pushing out a 8 lb (life changer). Your world is now changed (whether you like it or not) because of your ignorance …and lack of knowledge.
When an event occurs in your life that forces change…you will have to adapt whether you are ready or not. I now teach the art of having your cake and eating it to. The secret is this …cultivate core principles and stay up to date on old and current methods. (That is an entirely different post.) Know and understand what drives you. This seems like a cliche term, but it is VERY important to your personal growth.
Ask WHY! Revist your childhood and before your parents started giving out directives and controlling your life, you asked one simple question…WHY. Didn’t you hate it when your parents just shouted, “go clean your room, don’t have sex, be back at 9 p.m.” At first you protested, you fought, you cried, you whined — and then you were punished. You were beat, put in time out, you could not go and see your friends, you were yelled at (do you see the psychological slavery…) etc. After all of the abuse and “training”, you either resorted to command or rebelled. The conformer is enslaved — to a certain point. The rebel gets answers (whether with good or bad consequences.)
Open your eyes to the person you were before the training. It is going to be hard but you will thank your inner child for it in the long run.
Have a blessed day!
P.S. When was the last time you asked the question why?
Money As Debt
This is very informational. View, comment & share.
Part 1
The remaining portion of series would not load on my site, but it can be viewed in its entirety through this link. What are your thoughts??
If People Only Knew…
Isn’t it more to with production and realising the benefit science & technology? How many people live like the Amish? – They’re low tech and their economy is small and circular yet free as they choose to live that way. On the other hand, why can’t a society be coercive, productive and hi-tech? A hi-tech could attack a low-tech people force them off their land, enslave them into operating machinery in a way that makes they are more productive when they were free and the farmland is now growing far more food than by hand and animal labour. ‘Tis nice that technology and freedom are going roughly hand-in-hand but do they always follow one another as high technology has also been used to build greater weapons of war and make totalitarianism more realisable? Perhaps one modern artifact that half/half is the Internet. It was supposed to be anonymous free flow of information but instead is made of ISPs and people can identified through data mining.
Article by: Cafe Hayek
P.S. There is more to you than what you are making of yourself…be the person you are meant to be now! Waiting is no longer an option. Smile
Stimulus Package – Version II/Plan B
Yesterday, I was reading an ad that said, “Would you like to receive a stimulus payment every month? Well….sign up for our program and we can show you how to get it.” I was over excited at the thought of possibly getting a stimulus payment of $1,600 every month. My excitement quickly faded as I thought about what I would have to achieve to get that type of money every single month from this company. What would I have to sacrifice? What would I have to give up?
Well, I opted against signing up for their program, but it made me think about something very profound — the METHOD in how our world is operated is changing. We can live in a bleak existence and pray everything just works its self out, or we can change our methods and roll with the punches of our “new world.”
Retraining MUST occur. Jobs are no longer stable. 401K Pension plans are dwindling. Families are falling apart. Loving your neighbor is the last thing from your mind. In all of this, have you ever considered reconnecting with community/relationship based principles? If not, think about this:
When someone dies …what happens: Family members and friends gather to emotionally, financially and socially support the hurting love one(s).
When someone gets married…what happens: Family members and friends gather to express their happiness and support for those persons who have found “true love.”
When a community experiences a tragedy (911, Columbine, Katrina, Virgina Tech, etc…) …what happens. The world collaborates to mend a community back together.
The world is experiencing tragedy on a whole new level. People are hurting in ways they could never imagine. So what’s the solution???
1.Retrain your personal way of thinking. Old methods are fading away..tap into the new way of the world (The Internet Age).
2.Tap into the needs of your neighbor. Celebrate the good times, cry in the bad times and enjoy each moment of the current day (don’t worry about tomorrow).
3. Save for a rainy day. (Save money, store food, carpool ..etc)
4. Appreciate the relationships you have developed and create new opportunities to connect with others.
5. Don’t hold back on your inhibitions..take a vacation, start your own business, get married, plant a garden…do what makes you happy — NOW!
Stimulus packages will only last you a couple of weeks…retraining your mind and adapting the changing times now will last until the end of your time. Have a wonderful Day.
Plan B
Your heart is focused on gold.
Yet your pocket produces lint balls.
Your dreams are high, but your spirit is low.
Game plan A failed — time for Plan B. What is it?
Church vs. State
For many years, generations of people have argued that there is a distinct line between church and state. Let’s think about this for a second.
The church is a holy place where people are helped mentally, socially and spiritually. Most (not all) people seek God because their lives have usually come to an unmanageable place. I know when my life when to hell in a hand basket the first thing I did was ask God to “help me.”~~ Smile.~~ Anyway, most non-profit organizations serve as a second arm to the church. These organizations are birthed out of a need to cater to people who’s spirit is broken. Usually the service is provided to people who are homeless,battered, going through a rough time, etc. Non-profit organizations just like the church spending their entire budgets “helping.” This is a wonderful feeling to most. I know where to go to when I need help. Let’s look at the state.
The state is governmental, business, strict, rigid, rules and regulations, systems, systems, systems….administrative levels and order. There is no flexibility. The goal is to conqure financial stability and achieve new levels of financial success at all cost. People are not humans — they are social security numbers that increase financial leverage. Wow! Let is look at on a human level.
When we are on a vacation having fun, the thought of work goes out the door. Why is that? We are taught that fun and work do not mix. We are having fun and we don’t want to ruin that with the thought of work. However, when we are at work, our minds are consumed with taking a vacation. What happens when you experience a heart wrenching break up in the midst of doing a major project? Likely your boss will say “get over it” and go back to work. Why is that? His goal is productivity not sensitivity. When you bottom out and loose your job, where will you go? Likely to a non profit organization, or church who will coax you through the emotional process. Unless you have a relationship with the director of a shelter or a church, nine times out of ten that agency will not be able to advise you how to make your boss understand why you need your job back. The separation of church and state is where we fail as human beings.
If you are breathing and living on this earth several things are guaranteed:
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Bills/Financial Need
4. Trials and Tribulations (either you are going in, in the midst (of a trial), or coming out — consistently)
5. A Desire for Love/Compassion/Understanding
When we fuse church and state we realize there is a healthy balance between conducting business and developing relationship and understanding the needs of other people. It is in those moments where we genuinely understand ourselves. We can not escape bills and taxes they are guaranteed. We also can’t escape trials and tribulations (life lessons), they will remain until death.
No entity is greater than the other. The church has a lot of compassion (yet their funds are expended to $0 at the end of each fiscal year.) The state is very wealthy, yet it lacks human compassion. I therefore encourage you not to sacrifice one for the other. Learn to fuse the best of both worlds. Then you will understand the true meaning of “having your cake and eating it too.”
Fusing the best of both worlds is very simple, but it takes a lot of practice. Here are some tips:
1. Find something that you enjoy doing.
2. Seek ways for it to help you grow financially.
3. Surround yourself with like minded people who enjoy the same interest as you. Learn how your passions fuse and seek ways to help one another grow.
Personally, I love to travel, do motivational speaking and writing. So, to fuel my passions and my gas tank…hehe..I work as an online travel agent, I write books and I do motivational speaking. Is it risky? Yes! Is it worth it? Definitely.
No matter what, it is your life and you have the right to enjoy it…..Smile.
Have a wonderful Day.
Choose A Side…
Pick Work!
Pick Play!
The world says choose one or the other.
God says fuse both, I created it that way.
When was the last time…
Life has become so stressed and filled with calamity, so much that we forget to tap into the feeling of happiness. When was the last time you went to the beach, took a walk, took a vacation, read a good book, danced in the middle of the floor, sang karaoke, sent a note to a pen pal? Most people will tell you that those moments are far and few between. Maybe it’s time you take a mini-retirement. Get off the merry go round of life and just enjoy yourself.
Yesterday, I had the joy of going down to the beach, feeling the warm breeze and watching the birds fly around…it was bliss. In reading several emails, it seemed that everyone was sending me messages that made me laugh so hard that I cried and nearly fell out of my chair. It felt absolutely wonderful. I woke up this morning to the sound of singing birds and a bright and beautiful sun. WOW! Breathtaking. My sense of motivation was heightened. I was so infected by happiness that I cleaned my entire house, responded to all of my emails, made more phone calls…my productivity shot through the roof. No matter what is going on in your life, find a way to laugh. Find a way to tap into your happy place. Here are some of the things I do to create happy moments in my life:
1. I listen to songs from my childhood.
2. I dance really crazy in the middle of the floor.
3. I blog about my happiness (hint..hint…LOL)
4. I converse with other people who thrive on feelings of happiness.
5. I drive around and blast happy songs and sing to the top of my lungs. (It is a good thing my windows are rolled up, because I am a horrible singer…LOL)
6. I play with my kids and let them beat me in sports….well, they really are better than me.
Here is a funny video, a clip from Scrubs about how to block out the world and get into your “Happy Place…enjoy.
What do you do to block out the craziness of the world?
Find A Happy Place
Genuine love is contagious.
Happiness is a disease.
Joy is infectious.
It looks like I’m sick today…are you?
Misery Loves Company…
What do you really want to accomplish? I used to blame fear for all of my mistakes and troubles. Every time I went through a rough trial, I would ball up my fist…push it to the sky and say, “Darn you to hell fear…it’s all your fault I am not succeeding.” Failure happens the moment you begin to doubt. Doubt is something you inherit to protect your (mental — mind– spirit) against something you are scared to face. Sadly, 95% of the time the person you really fear is yourself.
Let me share some inside information with you ~~ I used to be a people pleaser. In moments of inspiration I would always come up with great ideas. In those times, I wanted everyone who was close to me (who loved me) to validate the move(s) I was going to make. The second anyone discounted what “my heart’s desire was” …I completely abandoned it and did what they suggested I do ~~ they projected their best efforts and believed it would work just as well for me as it did for them. Now don’t get me wrong, everyone has great intentions. Everyone wants to believe that “their magic potion” is the cure for your life. People tell you, “don’t follow your dream to be a dancer — get a 9 to 5 and work with me.” Listen to the person who says, “misery loves company.” It is true. People want clones of themselves, yet they tell you to be an original. Realize the only person you have something to prove to is yourself. When you literally step outside of the box and realize there is a world waiting for you just to be consistently you…everything you really want and desire will fall into your lap.
In the midst of writing this post at the beach, a young lady and her daughter approached me. The mother immediately begin to share somethings personal things with me. She spoke of a lover who she desperately wanted to change and come back into her life. She talked about the joys of being a mother and taking care of her children, because her mother said “it is a mother’s role and something she was supposed to do.” She continued her conversation for one hour before I had a chance to interject. I simply asked her, “Your plan is mapped out for everyone else, but what do you want for yourself? She looked at me with a blank stare and continued to talk about her wishes and hopes for other people in her life.
Our conversation made me think about something very profound…you can not change someone else until you change yourself. When you “try” to impose your expectation on someone else, you actually become their clone…because your world then revolves around them. If you really want to change the world, be a solid original. Be a rebel. Dare yourself to step outside of the box and watch everyone follow closely behind you.
There is a new reality show called Radical Sabbatical, where people step outside of the norm and get crazy enough to do something they love…despite its hardship and what everyone else thinks. Here is a snippet of one of my favorite episodes….
What would it cost to be you? For me the price is a whole lot less than pretending to be someone I’m not.
Have a Wonderful Day!
Who’s Doing You?
People who do — will.
People who don’t — won’t
The question still remains…
Who’s doing you?
What’s Next?
The next biggest thing is YOU!
Your originality. Your individuality. Your personality.
Erase the carbon copy of everyone’s expectation.
Dare to simply do you.
