Step Back To Take Flight

“Sometimes you have to lose to win again”  I always felt very empowered by this verse of a song by the  great  fantasia for two reason ,my first reason is because it is a fact of life , my second reason is I appreciate the blessing that losing brings forth. There are many things in life we may consider to be a loss or a major set back which in most cases they are. I strongly want to encourage you to change the language and the perception of our experiences. I have learned to see nothing as a loss consider every experience as a blessing and the things, I once considered to be a setback I receive as God’s divine way of protecting or redirecting my steps.  We have the power to choose the direction of which we want to channel or mind and our emotions , it is important to be in tune with self to know when it is time to work ,play , rest , and reset  and take a mental break. We are as good to others as we are too ourselves, our level of productivity is determined by the quality of our self-care mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The truth is not being in tune with self, not having a relationship with God, and failing to commit our plans to God first are all great losses that we all at one point or many times before have been guilty of.

I believe there a multiple way to cope with what we consider to be losses in our lives in order to successfully move forward being stronger, wiser and grateful for that experience. Writing down our goals gives us a sense of clarity and great visual before they are achieved. Having a plan of action puts us in line to actively pursue them, the question I have is how are you preparing mentally for this mission? The reason I ask is I believe it we that we can write it  down look at it daily and  have your plan set in place but if your mind is not equipped to take on the challenges and experiences that are coming our way we have already taken the risk of losing. It is important to have an open mind and a positive mindset if you plan to not only pursue but to push all the way through. Having an open mind places, us ten steps ahead of the game; while it is great that we have an open mind when we are hoping for the best but be sure to expect the unexpected. God’s will, will be done, meaning that when we come up on a roadblock on our journey it is our duty to respond with a heart of gratitude and be present to the blessings of a valuable lesson that we have received. Our time is rushed according to cultural expectations or traditions, God’s timing is perfect and there are no limits in His work. Patience is key and once we understand and accept that life is not out to get us, life does not owe us anything, it is our responsibility to trust God, be present and trusting of the process with an open mind and do the work.

“When Fears Are Grounded
Dreams Take Flight ”

The moral of the story that I want you all to grasp is that winning is in the mind and losing is also in the mind in which we choose based on our feelings in regard to our experience and the level of discomfort we feel when life does not meet our expectations. The beauty about discomfort is that it relates to the term labor, and to be in labor is to be in position to give birth. Just as a woman gives birth to a child, we can give birth to our dreams, we can give birth to the life we desire to create. To be In labor conception has to take place and once we have conceived in our minds the vision it is our responsibility to nurture, feed, and protect it until it is time to give birth.  If you find that you have been In a season of discomfort and pain, consider it a blessing and begin to get ready for labor. We cannot afford to waste any time complaining and being distracted by our expectations of how we believe things should happen and stay focused on the mission with an open mind to God’s timing. Do not give up you have come to far and you are so close to a breakthrough take a deep breath and keep going always remember sometimes you have to take two steps back in order to take ten steps forward.

Be The Boss & The Employee

Integrity and discipline are two important things that I believe that everyone and anyone that has a desire to discover what their purpose and actively pursue it should practice mastering. We all were created with a purpose and each day that we are blessed with life it is our responsibility to not only discover our purpose but to also actively pursue it. life is a long journey  filled with a lot of ups ,downs , and challenges , the good news is  it is not our job to try to figure out why it is our job to figure out how to allow ourselves to acknowledge what  we are experiencing and still be able to pull it together. It is easy to have integrity when others are present, but it can be a struggle when no one is around. Having integrity with yourself is extremely important as we actively pursue our purpose in life  because ultimately it is not what you say you do that takes you to the next level it is the things that we  consistently do even when no one is there to witness your work behind the scenes . Having discipline in a 9-5 is easy having discipline with self can be very challenging but very rewarding to us in the long run.

I have learned that it is not impossible to be discipline with self and our time, but it is true that for most of us it is easier to have discipline in a job than it is to have discipline with self. Why?  there are people that cannot handle being in charge of their time which furthers their need to be monitored in order to perform.  On the other hand, we have people that lack integrity with their self because they crave motivation and a crowd in order to be consistent with the things, they already know they need to do. When I decided to make one of the biggest and scariest decisions of my life there were two things, I set in my mind that would be a nonnegotiable. I knew I had to be disciplined with my time and my focus, and secondly, I knew that I had to have 100% integrity with myself in order to accomplish my goals. The reality of not being on anyone else’s time and not having anyone monitoring my time or level of commitment.  It sounds freeing and yes, it is but the truth is if you are not prepared to master those two things your dreams can turn into a sinking ship of dreams really quick. One of the biggest differences and challenge in living in your purpose is that it is our assignment from God and not a career or a job that you can change paths freely.

When you discover what your purpose is it is our responsibility to pursue and live in it being a blessing to others and pleasing to God who is the captain our ships. The question I have today is are you ready to set sail or are you okay with staying out at the dock? We must allow God to be the CEO of our life as we become  the Boss and the employee  of our lives, doing the work and being committed to a life that can be challenging but fulfilling and rewarding when we trust the process  and be patient with ourselves . Good things will manifest for those who work with patience, walk by faith, and give thanks every step of the way. The good times the challenging times and the still moments in our lives are all the ingredients necessary to ensure that God receives all the glory in our life when the very things that we deemed to be dead or impossible becomes possible. The choice to live a fulfilled life is one that is available to all of us, once we lose the desire to seek permission and validation, we can begin to live an unapologetic abundant life.

“Good things will manifest for those who work with patience, walk by faith, and give thanks every step of the way. ”

Get Out Of Your Feelings

It takes approximately 30 seconds after deciding to do a task before our mind steps in and begin giving us excuses sometimes valid reasons as to why we can put it on hold for a later date. One of the most important facts many of us lose sight of is that our goals and dreams do not care about how we feel they care about us getting the work done. Ultimately, we have to decide how important Is accomplishing our goals and remain committed to trusting the process. Daily new challenges are present, and change is constant it is not our duty to try to fix what is happening, It is our duty to create solutions around our circumstances to keep going. The struggle that most of us face in our mind and emotions, if we do not fill our minds will positive thoughts and things to inspire action, we leave room for procrastination and limited thoughts. The effects of a wondering mind lead to emotional break downs and decisions. Our life is not built on how we feel and what we think should happen  having an open mind is puts on in a place of accepting the reality that there are many things that will happen in our life that we will have no control of ,but there are some important things that we do have control of.

I am a mother, a wife, a certified life coach, and a fitness and wellness coach, daily my duties require me to be in service living and leading by example to not only my family but to the world. Do I have days that my emotions are not working according to the commitments I have, on those days is when I have to have self-pep talks to remind myself of what is important.  One of most beautiful things that I am so grateful for is the how God created each and everyone of us with a gift that is to be given to each other. When you get to a place where you fully understand that it is not about you, you are equipped mentally to feel the emotions and still show up. There are a few things I practice doing daily to help me to rise in good spirits and enthusiasm to win the day. The first thing that I have to do is pray and meditate the days that I do not fulfill that commit is when I struggle the most with keeping my emotions intact and have mental clarity. Secondly I have to have tea and moment to write in my gratitude journal, setting my intentions daily  to focus on all the things that I do have and even the experiences I am blessed to have gone through eliminates the desire to complain or focus on the negatives.  There is no such thing as having the perfect system or secret to having the perfect day it is about doing what works for you and mastering self during the process, being in control of our emotions and not allowing them to ruin us.

“Your Destiny Does Not Care About About Your Current Tantrums.”

In closing the question I would like to ask everyone reading is how are you setting yourself up to win each day? are you prepared to overcome any obstacle that you are faced with , or are you spending your days waiting for things to shift or happen for you. Life is not happening to us it is a happening for us, in the face of adversity I challenge you to not fold but to stand firm and ask what is this mean to teach ,invest time trying to identify the silver lining or in other words the blessing in disguise.  The thing that we have no control of can no longer be our focus and concern the things that are in our control is what we must invest time mastering. Winning begins in the mind you owe it to yourself to rise daily and choose to be a winner in your mind, spirit, and your actions. Every experience we go through is a set up for the things that we have been praying for and working for, get out of your feelings we have come too far to quit now. Every day is your big moment shine and embrace the shifts and changes that each day brings.

Rise In Victory

“This will be a good year ‘this is a statement that I am sure many of us including myself say every year that we are blessed to see the next. What does having a good year mean or look like for you? For most having a good year is based on the perception and hopes that everything is smooth sailing and works in their favor.  There a few like myself that believe that a good year is one that is filled with lessons, blessings with great possibilities of growth. Life is an unpredicted journey and filled with many surprises some we can appreciate and some we wish never happened but must understand that they too are important. The irony is claiming a good year simply means hoping for the best expecting and accepting the unexpected. Having a vision is a blessing it is important to  have  a plan , but being  flexible is key to not getting so consumed with expectations for what we think should happen  that we forget that the order in which  our destiny is fulfilled  is out of our control.  As the Co-creators of our life our duty is to identify what our purpose is, be in service, remain patient and open to the flow of God’s timing.

“Commit your actions to the lord, and your plans will succeed. -Proverbs 16:3. Have you ever made a new year resolution that had nothing to do with your wants and needs but to simply commit to having a relationship with God? If it is true that you cannot do the same thing you have always done and expect new results: why is it that every new year our focus is how can we make this year better but continuing to take the same steps.  Half of our battle can be won, and majority of our stress can be reduced by choosing to seek God first in all that we do. If you are anything like me then you know what it feels like to have a desire to be in control at all times. The reality is needing to be in control is   the same as operating from a space of fear, being afraid of not knowing the end results. I will be the first to tell you that the control factor was one of my greatest struggles and every day I still struggle with it. Whenever I have an event, or an important engagement is when I struggle the most, I get anxious, and excited all at once and I am constantly thinking about the end results and afraid of it not ending the way I anticipated. How am I working on not needing to be in control? I first have to condition my mind to the reality that I have no control of what the future holds, secondly, I have to train my mindset to remain in gratitude with the result whether they go my way or not. Lastly, I focus on being present throughout the process so that no matter how it plays out so that I can receive the lessons as well as the blessings in disguise.  

The one thing I want you all to keep in mind while we are fresh into the beginning of a new decade is to have patience and grace with yourself , and always remember that no matter how difficult your storm is that it could be worse. Does it mean that your storm is not as important or a struggle?  No, what it means is that even in the darkest moments in your life God’s love and grace is still present and with you at always. This is a new day, a new year, and a new decade but most importantly another opportunity to do something new to get a different result. We do not have to be perfect to seek God and while on our spiritual growth and journey that we will not always be perfect, but it will be worth it. RISE UP IN VICTORY and be thankful every day for another opportunity to be better, to learn something new and to create new and amazing adventures in your life.  Love yourself enough this year to be patient with yourself, remain consistent with your personal development, get comfortable with being uncomfortable to walk in faith and not by sight. My new year resolution is to increase my faith, be obedient even when being obedient is out of my comfort zone and trusting the process and worry not about tomorrow but to remain in the blessings of the now.

“Challenges Are Just As Necessary
As Blessings Are Prayed For.

-Shanett McNeill”

Reflection

As we come to the end of another year, I cannot help but to reflect on how much I have grown, the many experiences I had to grow through, the lessons that I needed to learn, and the blessings I received. In the beginning as we all do I  had a vision of the things I wanted to manifest  this year, the irony and fact that we all have to be present and open to is that the plan we set in place if it is not in line with God’s will there will be detours.  2019 has been a year filled with complete transformation and restoration, that does not mean that there were no challenges or struggles but they were an important piece to promoting transformation in my mind, body, and spirit. The unique thing about life is the beauty of God’s love to bless us with another day it is a gift of new opportunities the problem is there are people that are set in negative thoughts and limited thinking. They are blinded by their emotions which hinders their ability to create solutions, one of the most beneficial actions to take in life is to commit to doing the work and trust the process. Worrying is a distraction, needing to be in control is a distraction, dwelling on negative situations is a distraction and puts us in a very dark space if we do not shift our perspectives.

I learned a lot of valuable lessons that in return elevated me in many areas of my life. there were friendships that I cherished and held on to despite the level of toxic that was present. There were experiences that I thought may have been the right opportunity that turned into a complete disappointment. The Good news is in each situation that I was faced with I am glad to say that I learned a lot and I remained in gratitude even through the tears and the reward to that I was present and available for  God to make room for brand new and greater things. I was able to redefine and rebuild the meaning and importance of sisterhood for me and other women, I did not allow my heart break of toxic friendships dictate or influence who I am as woman, sister, and a friend. I was able to branch out and step out of my comfort zone to make new and amazing connections. Most importantly the one blessing I am forever grateful for is finding a new church home and family.  I share this with hopes to inspire and remind you all of two things the first is that we can do all things when we put God first and secondly, we are nothing without Him. it is always easy to celebrate and have a heart of gratitude when all is well so let us commit to changing the narrative and remain in gratitude at all times. If everything in your life seems to be going wrong remember this one thing that is a blessing the gift of life and with that, we have to make a choice daily sink or rise.

“Yesterday’s Blues Are A Thing Of The Past; But A Blessing In Disguise.
Smile You Have Been Blessed..

-Shanett McNeill”

n conclusion I pray that as 2019 closes we prepare ourselves to shift our mindsets and be open to letting go and unpacking all the baggage and clutter that have held us back from truly giving our best. Learning to master ourselves is going on a journey of understanding who we are, what we are called to do and identify what our purpose and giving a 110%. Our circumstances and the setbacks we experienced this year considered them our blessing in disguise and preparation for new and amazing things to come. Take a mental note and do not wish that things were different, or life was easier simply pray for the mental and spiritual strength to not only go through life challenges but to experience them, grow through, them and come out victorious. We are not victorious because life is perfect, we are victorious when we feel fear and still act, when we fall down and get back up, when we experience hurt and hardships but who we are our heart remains joyful and grateful.