When One Door Closes Many Blessings Will Flow

There will be plenty of doors that will be open and plenty of doors that will close, there will also be a lot of people that we least expect that  will close the door on you , turn their backs on you and some may even ridicule you behind your back. Our job is to continue to pray over our vision and keep working instead of spending our time trying to understand why things happen and why people are no longer around.  This too is one of the many distractions a lot of people struggle with, in a video I watched with Joel Osteen he made a very good point. He said “You cannot put a question mark where God has placed a Period, we should always trust that God always knows best and every disappointment is just an open opportunity for a self-evaluation period in our life. Which means there is no need to feel unworthy, in moments like these are when you need to have a power talk with yourself and dig deep into your faith box and get to work. They say you will learn how strong you are when being strong becomes your only option. Nothing else no or one else matter when your back is against the wall and that is the mindset we should always have when there are goals on the line.

 Two years ago, this was the beginning of bringing my brand (UHLLC) to life I had a minor setback where I could not complete a very important piece by the deadline due to few obstacles that occurred. My father and I are well I would not say we were always on great terms, is this something I would like to change? Absolutely but I am present to the fact that in order for any relationship to grow it requires effort and commitment from both parties. I reached out to my father because I needed a sponsor to help me with completing my project.  I recall his exact words being “hold on I am a little busy can I call you back“ my response was “no problem.” this conversation happened on May,21,2018 and that was the last time we spoke up until recently. The day that I asked him for help that little naïve girl on the inside believed he was going to call back, unfortunately he did not, and I had to learn to be okay with that. The moment I allowed myself to be vulnerable and open to my feelings to accept what It was as there was shift within in me. An hour later my husband called, and he said to me we are not going to put this on hold any more and we will have faith that this will work out fine. I smiled on the inside because I knew that, that was nothing but God reminding of the blessings I do have present in my life.  We trusted God and we moved forward and I could not be any happier for us making this choice to take a leap of faith. I could have sat back created all these questions and answers for his neglect, but Instead I used that as a lesson and a reminder that you must be able to rely on what resources you have in God. Even a Parent can be someone that closes a door in your face and that is  okay no one is obligated or responsible for your dream than you are with that in mind , I was grateful for the experience and  I used it  to fuel me to keep working hard , trusting God , and praying over my vision.

“You Cannot Put A Question Mark Where God Has Placed A Period. - Joel Osteen ”

Six months after giving birth to my daughter I was actively seeking employment which turned out to be an unsuccessful process but a blessing in disguise. I have not worked a full-time job since June 16, 2016, it was not an easy road or an easy transition. I received a lot of judgement, back lash, with little to no support. I had to tell myself this journey you are on is personal and you owe it to yourself to work for what you love like your life depends on it. I made the choice to work harder on myself than I do anything else and I committed to making my life a living example of what is possible. Instead of wasting time and energy feeling upset or allowing those words to have meaning about me I choose to push forward. We cannot allow people’s assumptions or opinions become our reality. People looking in from the outside will not see is the time invested the late nights and early mornings you have been putting in. Staying motivated to work hard on my craft and self while   wrapping it around being a mother and a wife is not easy. The blessing of being able to commit to something for a greater cause because you love it and not because you are being paid to is what makes the sacrifice and time invested worth it. If we get caught up in letting the words of others turn us away from our purpose, understanding this very important fact that people will always bash what they have no knowledge or understanding of and not internalizing it. I encourage everyone to keep working and most importantly I say again pray over your vision before you think about sharing your ideas with others take a moment to share them with God and ask him to guide you on your plan of action. Too much opinions can break focus and kills progress. I plan in silence your vision is yours to protect and bring to life.  

Untraditionally Qualified

Holding on to grudges and limiting belief systems will prevent us from moving forward and going to the next level in our life. A set belief system is one that is rooted in mostly in our cultural background and learned behaviors growing up. I will not say that the teachings we received were wrong, what I will say is they taught us limits and encouraged us in more than one ways how to view the world and life with a closed mind and a negative perspective on life which impacts the choices we make that affects our  way of being. It is our responsibility to be brave and free to explore life to get present to what truly matters and seeing the bigger picture, but we will never know if we do not broaden our minds and let go of our old limiting belief system. We only rely on them because it brings us a feeling of comfort and the feeling of doing the right thing the right way, the truth is the secret to true success and fulfilment does not come in a safety net.  We can only find what has truly been missing when we take a leap of faith and jump out of the known and into the unknown. Have you ever noticed how growing up we are asked what do we want to be when we grow up and for every new age and error of our lives for some that answer has changed multiple times? That does not happen because we are undecided that happens because we are constantly changing and evolving and sometimes, we are in a difference space in our life that reveals a new-found passion for new and exciting things that may not be considered to be the norm or traditionally correct.

The amazing thing about our unique existence here on earth has nothing to do with what is expected of us based on expectations or traditions, we were created to discover and master self. Once we find out who we are it is our duty master self the important skills that puts us in a position to thrive and live In our imagination. Living and playing by the rules okay but always remember this it is necessary to stand firm in your dreams and the desires you have even if it means taking on an untraditional approach unapologetically. Living a life that rewards us joy and fulfilment is something we all want to experience and should. When we begin to be more open and receptive to new possibilities it is in doing the unusual most people find what truly makes them happy and their true purpose in life.  In order to do this freely we also have to be willing to get complete with past circumstances whether that’s forgiving a friend, family member, or even a parent grudges only hinders us from flying high. It is unwanted baggage that we do not want to hold on to or carry around, allow yourself to heal freely, failing to face the reality of our struggles and stop suppressing our feelings. Holding on to past hurt and grudges will begin to show up in all areas of your life sooner or later and when you least expect it.  This Is an important step in journey of self -transformation that is to be quick to forgive, let go and move on.

“Whatever You Desire To Do ,
Believe You Can Do It .”
Begin It Now .”

If you could think of all the times you had the opportunity to create something new and exciting for yourself but because of fear or your belief system you talked yourself out of it think about how that made you feel.  I also want to encourage you to write a list of a few things you would like to accomplish in a short or long-term period and some of the things you would like to explore. Create a chart for yourself and chose in any order you please and take on committing to one task at a time and write down how each made you feel and mediate on that especially if it made you feel very happy on the inside. Begin to work harder on forgiving others not for them or because they deserve it but because you deserve to be free. Reclaim your time and your power you are worth it you are deserving of a life of happiness, freedom, and true success. It begins with you and there is no better time to get started than right now stop delaying your progress and putting of what you can do today for tomorrow.

Winning In The Midst Of Opposition.

Life is a journey in which we are blessed with the freedom to explore and create a life that is fulfilling to us but a blessing to others.  The problem that we all experience is being distracted by life, what do I mean by that?  We get distracted by the unexpected but necessary changes that occurs in our daily life especially when we are focused on achieving a very important goal. Anything worth having in life does not come easy, it will require hard work, patience, and sacrifice. The question we all have to ask ourselves is are we willing to give our all to get results in our daily life, and are we willing to be honest with ourselves about our will to commit and complete what we have started. I believe one of the many keys to thriving is to be open to always seeing the bigger picture and what is important. As crazy as it may sound the reality it is living in our purpose has nothing to do with us and everything to do with what we were created to do.  The good new is living in our purpose provides us with the opportunity to design our life in a way that does bring us joy and fulfillment. The true test is not in how we show up when things are going smooth what matters is how we show up when everything appears to be against us and not in our favor.

Allowing myself to be present  is one of the best decision I have made , it rewards me each day with the opportunity of being present to my feelings , present to the lessons that are hidden in adversities , and a reminder of what is important which is a blessing. This past weekend was my annual New Year Experience event which I did a little different this year. We had the pleasure of being partnered with Gurl Code Vision Circle. The weeks invested in planning and getting everything together flowed really well. The event was Saturday and Friday began with a ripple effect of oppositions. My partner for the event had an emergency which then resulted in us battling with the decision of if we should push through or reschedule. Saturday morning leading up to the final hour before show time, I recall feeling like everything that could have went wrong did and could not get any worse. The beauty is after all the tears, frustration, and adjustments that took place there was still a lot to be thankful for and a great reminder. In the midst of being overwhelmed by emotions I am grateful that we were selfless in finishing what we started although we may not have known what the blessing in disguise was. I was grateful for the individuals that decided to commit to self despite the weather, there was a lovely couple that came to the event from Delaware despite the weather warnings, despite the distance, despite the fact that we have never met was not a factor for them. The moment they introduce themselves and told me who they were, where they were from, and how they found the event all the frustration and anxiety left my body and was instantly replaced with gratitude and joy. Through an introduction of two wonderful strangers I was reminded that it is not about me and it is bigger than me.

In closing the reason why, I wanted to share this with you all was to remind and encourage everyone of the importance of not getting so caught up and distracted by oppositions that we miss out on God given opportunities. When we say opportunities, I want you guys to be open to the fact that every opportunity may not be for our own instant gratification but for another that needs what we have to offer. Life is not always peaches and cream or sunshine and roses but living a life with purpose and meaning means giving up the way you think things should be and trusting the way God has designed the order and timing of how our lives unfold. It is not our responsibility to try to change or figure out why we are faced with oppositions. It is our duty to see the bigger picture and have an open mind to new and hidden opportunities that may not be visible to the eyes but, with faith and trusting God fully all things are possible.  Who are you going to be in your winning seasons and who are you going to be when faced with challenges?  it is important that we show up the same in all areas of our lives the same in every season, be glad when things are going well and be grateful when life gets challenging.

“The Breakfast Of Champions ,Is Not Cereal
It’s The Opposition.”

Who Are You Called To Be?

“Life begins when you find out who you are “Bishop T.D. Jakes, what does this mean?  I was listening to a ceremony titled “I did not know I was me “and at first, I was confused and as he began to get into detail, I had a moment of gratitude and a revelation. I recognized that my life did not begin until I found out what my purpose Is and what I was truly called to do. Growing up I can recall going through different phases of highs, lows, and unsurety of who I was, what I wanted to do, and what my purpose was. From the day we are born we were given love, we are nurtured, and taught by our parents through teachings and habits about life what is important and what our aim or focus should be. It was no longer about who God created us to be or the visions we may have seen for our life. The good news is as we grow older we are responsible for the choices we  make and the quality of life we choose to live , without blame it is important that we understand that our parents did the best that they could with the tools that they were given wrong or right.  The reason why many of us struggle with identifying who we are and what direction to take is because we do not have our own personal relationship with God, and we do not know our worth.

As we grow older, we learn to adapt to the constant changes some of us are better at flowing some of us are stuck living in the past that only does a disservice to our wellbeing.  There was a time I wanted to be a singer because I was told how good I was, I loved singing and I am a music lover, but I knew it was not something I wanted to pursue. I wanted to be an actress because everyone always told me how good I was in drama and theater and although I loved and enjoyed that as well, I had no passion to pursue it. I wanted to be the next Merlene Hottie she was a very popular track star from Jamaica because everyone said I was fast and reminded them of her. I loved track and field and I trained for it daily, but I learned as I grew it was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I  loved writing because it gave me a sense of freedom to express myself and live in my imagination ,the irony is I heard feed backs  like “you are a great writer but writing won’t be enough to support your lifestyle, and it will be hard to get a job after going to college for journalism.” Not knowing who I had put me in a position space where I allowed my life to be molded by my environment and voices of influence, which led me to putting writing completely to the back of mind.  I attended trade school to become a medical assistant, why? I was guaranteed to get a job after and begin to make money which at the time sounded like a great plan. I quickly learned that it was indeed a good idea but not fitting for me and what I was created to do, there was a great deal of blessing that came from that experience. I met my husband and I pushed to reclaim my time and get to know my true self and what I was worth. life became more meaningful and exciting the moment I decided I was no longer living according to what was politically correct what makes sense to everyone else.

Have you met your true self?  most of us live the entire first halve of our lives as a complete stranger within our own body. Being out of touch with what we feel, our vision, our worth, and what we are capable of achieving. The life we desire is available and waiting for our true identity to show up, God cannot bless who we pretend to be he can only bless who he has called us to be. if you have spent your entire life feeling out of place and uncomfortable is simply because you were not created to fit the descriptions or categories that you have been placed in. Are you ready to break free and begin to live a life that you are deserving of?  The first step is to   commit to getting closer to God and getting to know who you are and what you were created to do. Living your best life as your true self Is a journey that will not be easy but rewarding and worth every challenge we will face in pursuit of our purpose. We owe it to ourselves to invest in living everyday with purpose and passion, live beyond your limits and expectations. a life that is worth living is a life that is lived to our full potential.

“Who You Are Called To Be Has
Nothing To Do With
Who You Were Taught To Be.”

Rejection = Redirection

Rejection can be painful, it can be a confidence killer, it can create fear, it can be a struggle to accept or get over, the one thing we miss sight of is that rejection can be rewarding at times. In this present season of my life I have grown to appreciate that rejection is God’s way of redirecting our focus and protecting us from the unseen.   We live in a time where we need an explanation for everything so much that we believe God owes us an explanation for the events and timing of our life.  Life does not happen according to our wishes and dreams life is works according to God’s will. It is important that we believe and trust the process of which we must go through in order to grow into the new chapters in our life. It is natural to have dreams and desires and it is expected to feel disappointed when things do not work out in our favor ,but have we ever truly taken a moment in the midst of rejection to take a moment to analyze the situation and self. The things that we are in pursuit of have we taken time to pray about them, were we patient with ourselves and did we wait on God’s instructions, are we ready to receive what we are asking for? The answer to that for many of us is no, why because we have painted a picture in our minds with and entitled attitude that everything that we want or pursue is a must have. The truth is the things we believe we must have may not always in alignment with God’s will for us and if it is maybe the time that we seek is not on His time.

How many times in your life can you recall going after something you truly desired and believed it was what you needed only to get there and realize that the feeling of emptiness and unfulfillment is still present? My next question is have you ever been in a place where you are pursuing a passion and every attempt you make seems to result in failure? The natural response to have is to claim that we are just not among the lucky people that things happened for and secondly, we begin to take it personal and internalize our short comings to define our worth. I have been a health and wellness coach for four and half years and in the last year I decided I wanted to obtain a certification in personal training. I registered to take the class, I read the books, I took the practice exams and I set out to achieve this goal only to fail not once or twice but six times. I will be honest the first three times I was angry I was offended, I felt like maybe I was not a good trainer, a lot of negative thoughts and emotions grew behind that result and I gave up mentally on trying. Fast forward to a few months later I decide to take it again three attempts later the irony is these final attempts I received the same score. The one thing that changed with this last attempt was that I opened mind to the possibility that this too is out of my control and I have to trust the results without creating stories behind it. This does not mean I will never take it again; this does not mean that I am not able to pass, it simply means not right now.

“Smile In The Face Of Rejection With Gladness And Gratitude In Your Heart.

”

The irony about life is sometimes even the things that may sound good or look promising may not be what we need in that moment and even good things with good intent and effort may be a distraction from what we actually need to be focused on. In this season of rejection, I am grateful for clarity and understanding that I was distracted by a goal that was taking my focus off of the assignment that God has assigned over my life. I want to encourage everyone reading today to surround yourself with people that are invested in your growth and purpose as much as you are , people that you can trust to be honest when you need it ,and people that can pray you out of your own way when you just don’t have the strength or voice to do so. Life is a journey  a long journey but it is not one that we were meant to travel alone on  , He is always with us and when we trust and obey Him , He will provides us with the right people , and put us in the right place at the right time , our duty is to stay focused and get in position. Standing still and waiting for God will open doors, break chains that we could not have broken or open without his Grace. Smile in the face of rejection with gladness and gratitude in your heart.