Self-Empowerment

“In life you get two educations the one that was given to you and the one that you give yourself I would recommend the latter of the two”. I heard this quote over the weekend, and I had to share it because it is a 100% true. We were all taught a certain way of life based on religion, culture, race, and education. from the day we were born we are taught what is wrong from right we are given instructions on life before we can have our own understanding to choose for ourselves. The beliefs of our parent’s became ours by default, when we grow older It is our responsibility to do our own research on life. The reality is most people refrain from doing the work and being open to new possibilities instead they choose to place blame of their upbringing. Placing blame keeps us stuck we start to feel different when we begin to think different and change the lenses that to see the bigger picture. What we were taught as a child sometimes even our belief in a specific religion can change that does not mean that the lessons, we learned was wrong. It just means that as adults it is our responsibility to make decisions that are best for us whether they are in line with what you have known your entire life or not.  In life we must learn to not settle for what we are told and strive to look beyond that and broaden our own knowledge of the world and life using wisdom to apply them and thrive.

The title of the person teaching does not mean they know any more than you do neither does it mean that they are hundred percent correct. How will you ever find out what is fitting for you if you never seek to gain your own knowledge and understanding through taking risk that leads us to life changing experiences. I will give a small example of living what we were taught and how it affects us. I went away for a business conference on a weekend sometime last year, my husband had an engagement he needed to attend which led to us planning for the baby to be with her grandmother for the evening. Later on, in the evening at approximately ten thirty going on eleven O’ clock that night I called and discovered that she was still with her grandmother.  I recall being getting a was a bit out of shape with that, not because she was not safe or that she was not in good hands it was all based on a belief of what I had been taught growing up with a Jamaican culture background. I was a bit frustrated that he could not understand my point of view on this. I had a conversation with a friend of mines and she said she shared with me a quote from one of the speakers at the conference that stated “somethings you learn or hold on to you have to let go to be where you want to be or who you want to be.”

“Give All That You Got You To Receive All That You Deserve.”

 When we are on a journey to empower self there will be plenty of moments In life that being able to check ourselves is necessary. My self-checks helped me to recognize that a lot of things that I used to  get  so wound up about was  only based on a belief system that I adapted It  does  not mean they were  wrong or right .What it means is that I have to learn to do and come up with solutions in my life based on what works best for me in that moment . Learning to be in control of our emotions and the way we react to certain situations becomes vital to our well-being. Today I want to encourage each and every one of you reading to stop limiting yourself to belief systems that does not promote growth, begin to go beyond our own what we know. Lose grip of The safety nets in order to go higher we must drop the weight of our mind and the past. Be open to a lifetime of lessons, it is important that we take time to educate our self and apply them having knowledge and wisdom is key, always remain humble and open to letting go of the things that does not empower us. “in order to elevate to the next level in your life you will have to let go of all limiting belief systems.

Lose Excuses And Change Your Lifestyle

When it comes to our health You can choose to pay now or be forced to pay later it is up to us to choose which expense is worth paying. As a health and fitness coach I have heard many different reasons as to why they struggle with committing to a healthy active lifestyle. Some of the most common ones are “I don’t have time, it is too expensive, I am okay with just working out occasionally , I don’t have the right support system, I am comfortable, it is too hard, it’s too late, we are all going to die one day” and the list goes on. You know what I call those? excuses and story’s we make up in your mind that limits us or gives us a sense of comfort in not doing the things that we know we need to do.  Once upon a time I was in that same space mentally, I would choose to go to a drive through because in my mind it was cheaper it’s only a dollar or two, I would tell myself. That was far from the truth that choice was more expensive simply because I had more to lose than I had to gain in the long run. The bigger picture that I missed was that those few dollars were adding up daily, and as a result of the choices I made my health and fitness ability was decreasing.  The excuse of not having time was my favorite until I started paying attention and analyzing my daily activities what was I spending my time doing. I chose watching television, laying around, and senseless internet searching, I knew what I really needed to invest my time in was at least thirty minutes to an hour two or three days a week. In the beginning working out alone was a challenge and not so much fun, I didn’t push myself and I didn’t feel motivated. I recognized that my problem was not the act of exercise what I needed to do was identify my why and focus more on getting it done no matter what. Slowly but surely that limiting feeling of not wanting to work out alone became a non- factor.

 One of the most obvious facts of is that death is a guarantee for us all, but while we are living why not commit to living our best life possible. Will it hurt us to feel great and look amazing?  There are illnesses and natural causes that we have no control over or cannot prevent but even those things can be less stressful and aggressive on our bodies based on the lifestyle we live. If we spend our whole life deteriorating our internal health what fight would our bodies have when the natural causes take place? In the end the doctor recommends medications and a change in our lifestyle so why not get a step ahead and live a preventative lifestyle. The only difference with being told you need to it and you making the choice is that when ordered to make the change we are not able to enjoy the process because now you are doing it due to the fear of losing your life. Prevention is more beneficial than spending the rest of your life repairing lifelong damages.  Nutrition plays a very important role in your lifestyle change because you cannot work off a bad diet. It is a lot easier said than done take baby steps we all have a starting point in the beginning its hard, but it never gets easier you get stronger.  Commit to change value your health because ultimately our life and happiness depends on it. Remember it is not about how old or young you start all that matters are that we get started. you have nothing to lose but a few unwanted pounds, stress released and finding strength and happiness only you can control. I encourage you all that when you do get started invite the people that matter the most in your life especially the people you spend a lot of time talking to or hanging with to join you.  

“The Choices You Make To Change Your Lifestyle Is Golden
The Excuses We Make Are Overpriced And Unworthy.”

Finished Product

Our life can take a turn for the best at any moment and it can also take a turn to challenging at any moment: the only thing that remains constant in both changes is that we must continue to keep pushing. The day we were born we were not given a map with directions or instructions on what direction to take and how to deal with life challenges. Everyday is a blessing and an opportunity to learn and grow, most people believe that change and growth has to wait for a special moment such as a new year, new month, new age, new location and the list could go on. All of those are great reasons to decide to make changes in your life but just the blessing of seeing another day should be enough to decide to make a change. Today we are here tomorrow we may not be so when we put off doing things that we know we need to do for specific moments that are not promised we are only robbing ourselves. We rob ourselves of the opportunity to be present and to take advantage of all the possibilities that we have in that moment. One of the biggest mistakes that we all make when we are in distress is to make decisions based on our emotions which can cloud our judgement and distract us from what we truly are capable of doing. The most common thing that most of us do is give up on self or put our well-being to side, and we lie to ourselves with statements such as: I will get back to that once life calms down and I am back on track. Life is always happening challenges will always be present, difficulties will come and what we need to get through our stormy seasons is a whole version of us.

Having the right mindset, having the right energy, being healthy mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotional are a very important factor that determines how we overcome our challenges. Strength begins in the mind and mental strength is determined by our personal well-being altogether. The idea that when we things are going downhill and our backs are up against the wall that the best solution is to put our personal development on hold. The reality is as long as we have breath in our bodies we will always be tested and most times the challenges we face are out of our control it is not our duty to get active in problem solving. Our duty is and should always be to invest in our well being making sure that we are prepared to take on all that we are up against. The storms we face in life are often God’s way of getting our attention and it is also is a time where we learn something about ourselves and adjust.  I remember when I went through my breakup with my husband who was my boyfriend at that time, I also had a lot of personal struggles that I was going through. The week prior to life taking a negative turn I was thinking about changing my lifestyle getting active and changing the way I was eating. I share that to say to I am who I am and where I am only because I made up my mind to commit to personal change despite the hurt, I was feeling and I  trusted God . The commitment I made to myself strengthened me mentally it gave me hope. It is a reminder to me of how much I can accomplish and overcome in life if I continue to always commit to taking care of me and never quitting on what I need to take on every challenge and tests that I will be faced with.

Change is not easy, but is necessary and a constant part of life and for every new level we grow to there will be a new level of strength that will need to posses to get through. The only way to stay sharp is to remain committed to doing what is best for us and what has been even more present and constant in my life is putting God first and trusting the process. Once you can understand and accept that everything has a purpose no matter how tough they may be to face this too shall pass. After the storm keep a memory bank of every moment that you thought you could not get through and remain in gratitude that God showed up every time and you took action to align with His plan. The next time life throws a curve ball your way when you go through the process of elimination do not count yourself out do not quit on you, let go of everything and any one that does not add value and puts you in a position to compromise your peace and happiness. Trust that even in the darkest moments when you feel along God is always present, keep praying, working, waiting, and expecting a breakthrough and a blessing.

“Conformity Is The Jailer Of Freedom,
And The Enemy Of Growth.
- John F. Kennedy ”

Selective

“Be selective in your battles, sometimes peace is better than being right” Dre Bell , there will be moments in our lives when we must learn the importance and benefits of being selective of the battles we choose to fight. It is important that we are selective with our time , the places we go to, and the people we give our time to. Everyone experiences changes  some  are a wins and  some are lessons  no matter  what season we are in growth is a must  and it is important that we are not learning the same lessons twice. “You fool me once shame on you ; you fool me twice shame on me.” This was a phrase that I learned and heard very often in my younger years. Today I can confidently say that I understood what it meant , it is not that you have to change who you are at the core because of what you have been through or experienced , you change your perspective and your approach. When engaging in fitness we talk about muscle memory and how it quick the muscles recognize a familiar movement, that is how we should all take a mental note of every experience we go through. Life does not happen to us life happens for us even in the moments when the current results is not what you anticipated there is still endless possibilities available to you. Are you present , are you taking mental notes as you grow?

The first reason why being present through every experience in our lives is important and very beneficial is to pay attention to the details.  When we  pay attention to the details and are in tune with every step we take in the end it all makes sense of why some of the experiences we had to go through whether good or bad was necessary. Taking a mental note of every  lesson we have learned through every experience helps us to be better equipped as it pertains to us making decisions and being selective. We all have the gift of intuition something I believe God has gifted us all with but sometimes all the noise in our life prevents us from being in tune and hearing clearly.

We must learn to take the good with the bad and focus only on creating solutions. My secret to living Unapologetically is to being open to learning,taking risks, and being committed to personal development. The greatest project we will ever work on is ourselves. Invest in your health, invest in your mental ,physical , and spiritual well-being. As we continue on our journey through life care to be bold and free to be who you were created to be. Never compromise your peace on your pursuit to happiness and true success. Understand this one fact you will go down some rocky roads; that is apart of the process grow from them but never change the core of who you are.

The Ingredients

What are you cooking up in your life, what is your secret ingredients? It is important that we not only know what we are cooking, it is important to know the key ingredients that we need. It is not the amount of time you put the food in oven for that makes it delicious it is the preparation or the seasonings we put on it that makes it. I believe that it is important that we are mindful of what ingredients we are putting into our vision. One of the most disappointing things we can experience while working hard on our building our dreams is to find out that we had the right idea but the wrong materials to build with. What I mean by materials or ingredients when we speak on living in our purpose is making sure that we not only have a clear vision or a great plan but that we have the right people around us and that we are investing time in person development.

I was guilty of the saving game, what I mean by that is that every opportunity that I was presented with or present to I had to share. I wanted to bring everyone along I had to learn the hard way. It is okay to want good for others, but it is most important that they want better for themselves. We cannot afford to mix people that are ready to work for change and people that are busy hoping for change those two ingredients will never work together. I was also very guilty of working harder on my external appearance than my inner being, there was work that I needed to put In before I could see change. I had to go through many trial and errors to get to a place where I had to learn the importance of having clarity on what is important me and what are the necessary steps, I must take to be successful in everything that I do. The first must have ingredient for me is God; I understand that I am nothing without him and I can do all things through him. My second most important ingredient is having faith and doing the work, results can only happen when action is taken. My last but not least ingredient is love; I believe that love wins and loving what I do and falling in love with transformation in other people’s lives keeps me fired up in every season.

“Be The Master Chef And Cook Yourself Up A Winning Life .”

Lastly what I want to leave you all with today is a reminder of to avoid baking with the wrong ingredients. Be specific with your vision and seek clarity before you begin to mix. The most important step is what you put in not how you do it, having the right ingredients is what makes the finish product delightful. Be patient, trust the process and pay attention to the details what is a success story without a testimony? Everything we experience has a purpose as we go through different phases let us grow through them without fear or reservations. I’m cooking up an Unapologetically happy God filled successful life, what are you cooking? You are the author of your life and the chef in your kitchen feel free to change the narrative. It begins with you if you change things will change.