Value Your Time

“Time is free but it is priceless ,  You can’t own it but you can use it , you can’t  keep it but you can invest it , once you lost it you can’t get it back.” I shared this quote to remind you all of the importance and the amazing ironies in life about time, the truth is time is one of the most valuable things that is in our grasp but out of our control, meaning that while we are gifted with time daily we have no control of how fast or slow time moves.  What we do have control of is our level of productivity with the time that we are blessed with. There are 24 hours in a day no more and no less, there is no special person in the world that has been gifted with an extra day or an extra hour in a day to accomplish their goals and enjoy their life. The quality of our life should not limited to the excuse of not having time it is a matter of making time for the things that are important. Where there is a will there is a way the struggle for many people is not being able to unapologetically make decisions that are best for themselves but may not make sense to others. For many years and generations, we have been subjected to limited opinions, and seeking validation. The truth is everyone has their own opinion, which is formed based on their quality of thinking, their past experiences, and their own level of consciousness and perception. Does this mean that their opinions are wrong? No, it means that they are unable to understand because your vision is yours to see and bring to life for them to see. The vision we have for our lives and the assignment that God has for our lives is like a dress that has been tailored to fit a specific person. It is very important that not only are we valuing our time but that we know we are at the core, one of the worse things a person could experience is missing their blessing by not being true to who God has created them to be.

In addition, it is important that we understand that God cannot bless who we pretend to be. It is normal and very common for an individual to have a vision that they are passionate about but lacking confidence in their ability to make it happen. The result of that ends in second guessing themselves, being easily swayed or influenced by multiple sources and directions, eventually they look up one day and realize they have spent their entire lives spending time doing everything that everyone expected or imposed on them. When I first got started on developing Unapologetic Happiness, I was very committed to not only building a brand to inspire others but to truly live an unapologetic lifestyle, which has been a good thing for me but has also had very difficult results as well. I have had to end friendships and connections with people simply because they were not able to understand or accept my unapologetic approach at life.  I have experienced people attempting to make me feel less of a mother because they may not understand my drive and belief on not taking time for granted. The truth is I made a commitment to teach my daughter by being a living example of what is possible, kids do what we show them not what we tell them. My faith may have been questioned because I choose to actively pursue my purpose daily relentlessly where other’s opinion was the opposite of what walking in faith looked like for them and that’s okay. I have been hurt for choosing to have it all and living life with excitement and passion to enjoy the present moments and the people I love while actively pursuing my purpose in life. Fortunately for me the pain and hurt I have experienced all have been a blessing, so I continue to take notes and applying them daily.

When you believe in your vision and you trust the calling that God has over your life you stand firm in it , you must trust that He we will give you what you need to succeed in every challenge. Always remember that it is never in his will to allow ourselves to be moved our distracted , the fact still remains that  anything that keeps us away from our goals and the things we know we need to do is an excuses and often times a distraction. The life we desire is ours if it is in God’s will and if we choose to have it, but no one has ever mastered self and achieved their goals by standing still and waiting for time to yield. Life is a roller coaster ride buckle up and get ready for the ride, learn to laugh a lot, enjoy every moment, appreciate all the highs and lows, celebrate the small wins as well as the big wins,  most importantly don’t forget to take notes. We may not be able to understand the  purpose  of our storms today but later on they will all make sense you will grow to see how important those challenges were in order for us to get to the place in which we strive to be in. In the meantime, make time a priority use it wisely and make it a priority to invest more time than you are spending. Lastly always work harder on yourself than you do anything else, instead of complaining about not having time get up and create time for what is important to you. Remind yourself daily that your life is a gift and your purpose is bigger than you.

“While You Cannot Get It All Done In 24 Hours, Giving A Hundred Percent To The Day Is Valuing Time.

Shanett McNeill”

Detach & Reconnect With Self

‘No man Or woman is an island “we were not created to experience life alone, there is so much to learn and so much we can appreciate about life when we have people to share our stories with and vice versa. The irony about this very fact of life is that there will be moments when we will be tested and forced to make decisions that may be difficult and uncomfortable for us, but are very necessary. For every new level that we grow to there are new and greater requirements that is expected of us there are sacrifices to be made that may not feel good today but will benefit us in the long run. The downfall that many of struggle with is our desire to seek instant gratification, our need to please everyone, and never knowing how to accept that everything and everyone has a season and being open to letting go. Holding on to people and continuing to engage in places that are no longer serving us does us more of an injustice than it does to let go. It is okay to struggle with making difficult decisions, but it can be it can be simple if we choose to make it so by choosing what is more important to you.

Is thriving important to you? or is being accepted more important?  Choosing to thrive is an unapologetic approach at life, not being afraid of separating and being alone in order to continue to bloom properly where we are planted. The places and people that we were once interested will not always be in our best interest once we have changed the direction of the way we are thinking and who we are being. As a baby a crib is a fitting space for us, when we become infants, toddlers, and older we can no longer fit in a crib and there will be little that interests us there the older we get. This is the same concept that applies as we grow into adulthood and graduating into our true nature and purpose for our lives. The good news is every challenge that we come up against in life we are equipped to handle , that is why it is important to appreciate our past experiences to get complete with them  without ever forgetting the valuable lessons and blessings that each one has gifted us with. Everyone has different beliefs and even with the same beliefs everyone’s perception and understanding will not always be the same and that is a fact that we must understand and be okay with.

Life is not about changing the things that are out of our control, life is about accepting what is and changing our perspective and the way we respond to life. It is our responsibility to live life with passion and excitement celebrating the good times celebrating the challenges, celebrating the small wins, celebrating the setbacks and learning to appreciate everything. Life is a process  that we must all learn to trust and enjoy the constant changes that we experience , and lose the  urge to want to figure it all  out, it is important to understand that there are some things that is not for us to figure out. Maturing mentally and spiritually is the key to staying grounded and to better equipped to grow and flow through life without resistance. We cannot change our destiny, but we can delay our progress by choosing to ignore the signs of the season we are in and what our responsibilities are. One of the greatest things about God’s love is that not only does he remove what we want but he replaces and restores us with what we need. With that in mind we must be confident on our journey and openly trusting the timing and order of our lives. to be separated does not mean we lose something or someone, separation is necessary to make room for new and amazing things to come into our lives.

“The Root Of Suffering Is Attachment , The Root Of Thriving Is The Ability To Detach From Things That Are Out Of Our Control To Focus On New.”

Creative Process To Progress

What does living your best life looks and feel like? The phrase of living our best life is one that is used quite often especially in the last few years which lead me to asking this question. In my personal experience I won’t say that right now where I am in this present moment to be considered as me living my best life because I believe my best is yet to come. In this present moment I define it to be my creative process of living my best life. I have not yet accomplished all that I have desired for my life, I have not completed what I believe my purpose on earth is. we are all entitled to our own opinions and it is very natural that every one’s idea of what living their best life looks and feels like will not be the same. The reason I am writing this blog today is to encourage others to step back out of the trend of what's the new saying or new social media trend for a minute and take a step into reality. Invest time reflect and evaluate yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Ask yourself, am I really living my best life, do I feel like I am where I want to be, do I know where I want to be years from now?

 The reason for centering the focus  on these few but also very important  questions is to inform  and remind those who may already know that life  is not about what you say you are or what we you do for self that matters, it is who we are committed to being that matters. For example, there are many individuals that rise up every day with the intention of convincing the world of how happy they appear to be, when internally they are feeling lost, confused. Instead of working to be better internally they spend more time portraying to the world that life is perfect. The clothes you wear , the shoes, the cars , the house you live in, the job or career you have is not a representation of living your best life .They are material things that years later their value will decrease and they will no longer mean as much to you  the older you become and the more responsibilities you have .Having a vision for your life and creating a legacy , the kind of impact we should all be striving to achieve in the world is  one that will be cherished and remembered the most.

“Innovation Is Seeing What Everybody Has Seen ,And Thinking What Nobody Has Thought.”

I am inspired and invested daily to encourage everyone reading especially my peers of today’s generation to invest more time into self-empowerment, spiritual healing, and evolving of the mind. Be mindful of the fact that we have so much more destined for our lives, but we must want it and be willing work for it. Our job is not to want to be like everyone else, keeping up with the latest trends and wearing the latest brands our mission is to find our purpose and live in it on purpose.  The first step is having a spiritual relationship with God and getting connected with the higher power. The second step is taking care of our minds and bodies being aware of what we put into our mind and body, by practicing a healthy active lifestyle. Lastly really committing to applying all that you are learning and not compromising these core values then and only then will we truly experience the joys of life. Being at peace and happy with the beauty of feeling free from what we think we should be and what others expect from us. being true to ourselves, doing what we love, and being unapologetic about living in our purpose is how we create the foundation to living our best lives.

Consciousness

In life one of the most important qualities we must learn to master is the ability to be understanding and mindful of the fact that everyone Is doing their best and operating from their own level of consciousness. Having unrealistic expectations on each other will only breed chaos and tension. We are all different people from many different walks of life that are journeying from different back grounds, different belief systems and morals.  Which means that not everyone will share the same views, and everyone will not have the same response or reaction to life changing events. While there are many things that we do not have control of there are somethings that are in our control. The way we respond to life is our responsibility, the way we receive each other is also our responsibility. We spend a lot of time internalizing our experiences which results in us allowing them to become a personal attack on our character, we also internalize people’s opinions and actions versus really listening to hear and understand what is being said. The life is not happening to us and everyone we experience are not on a mission to hurt us, the only thing hurting and holding us back is the lack of consciousness. It is important that we are investing time in learning who we are at the core, what our weaknesses are, what our strong suits are, and most importantly what are we holding on to.

Unfortunately, there are many people that are currently existing and journeying daily through the lenses of their past presently reliving hurtful experiences. The result of this is no matter what is happening around them whether positive or negative their perception is coming from a dark place which enables their thoughts to be their reality. As a result, there are people that are operating daily as victims of life by using their daily circumstances as a valid reason to complain and remain in distress as it gains much wanted attention with out being held responsible for creating solutions. Instead of creating solutions and healing many will find comfort and display false confidence through the areas of their lives in which they recognize to be their strong points. The focus in life should always be centered on being and not doing, why? There are a lot of us who are struggling with many different things but instead of being committed to doing the work and  sorting through our issues we spend more time looking busy doing everything that looks good externally but nothing to do with what  we truly need.  It is very important to be in tune with ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually as it is our compass that promotes growth and increases our ability to thrive.

“The Key To Growth Is The Introduction Of Higher Dimensions Of Consciousness Into Our Awareness.”

 In closing I want to remind and encourage you to remember that life is a journey, and everything is a process that requires patience and commitment.  Placing blame limits our ability to grow no one is responsible for the life we choose to create; success is a choice and so is settling for less and allowing the past to define and determine your future. Invest time daily in knowing who you are and your worth and stop wasting time reliving the past and allowing it to affect who you are being. allow the past to be a reminder of your strength and not the definition of your worth. Pain has a purpose it Is our responsibility to rise up use the hand that we have been dealt and make the best of it. Winning begins in the mind our thoughts shape our reality, our duty is to be mindful of the thoughts we have and the words we speak over our life.  Choose to make today the first day of the rest of your life, you are the author of your story each day that we are blessed with life is another opportunity to commit to being the best version of ourselves. Life is simple but life is also challenging but it is the challenges that builds our strength and increases our faith which makes it all worth it in the end. In the meantime, continue to work on developing the mind and healing so that we can fully enjoy this precious gift of life.

Winning Life

It is important that we are mindful of the fact that we are always in the process of becoming one of my favorite quotes is “you do not have to be perfect to start but you have to start to get better”. The reality is we all have areas in our lives that we may consider ourselves to be great and then there are areas that we would claim to be an amateur at. While both statements could be true, we are not limited and should not limit ourselves based on our strengths or our weaknesses. There is always room for improvement in our weaknesses and in even in our strengths there is still room to grow.  The most common problem often seen is that most people are okay with setting for winning in one area or some areas of their life and okay with failing badly on other areas. That will be okay but only for a short period of time it is our responsibly to have priorities and order In our life.  The truth is sooner or later the areas in which we struggle if not addressed they can get out of control and negatively affect the other areas of our life.  Most of us are in denial that this is a real thing and while many of us understand this principle we may choose to ignore it or keep putting it off for a later date.  Procrastinating equals frustration and the feeling of being overwhelmed will gradually increase which puts us into a toxic space and a severe case of playing catch up while trying to cure disease at the same time.

I am always impressed and take great amazement in the irony of how everything and everyone is connected by one source, which confirms to me that everything that we do and not do is connected and where there is a cause there is an effect.  We all have hopes to be successful in life and we may be willing to commit to go to school to get a degree ,or take courses on what we needed , but will refuse to commit to working on our health , getting right spiritually , working on our mind , our  relationships , our language , and creating structure in our life. The truth is in order to obtain true success each of those plays an important part on our journey achieving success, it is as equivalent to the bible phrase praying without believing or claiming to have faith with out putting in the work to achieve those goals. My strong suite is speaking and writing my not so strong suites is in technology and managing finances. In 2020 and in the world of entrepreneurship it is possible to grow by word a mouth but there is also a very direct and broad connection that we have access to by being open to the usage of technology and social platforms. As finances are concerned, I am aware that God cannot bless me with more until I begin to take responsibility and begin working on the areas that I struggle most while money is not my primary focus it is very important.  In order to excel and grow in life we must be willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable facing our struggles head on and making them a priority to get right while we are in a position to do so.

“Life ,Like A Mirror , Never Gives Back More Than We Put Into It.”

In closing I want to encourage everyone reading today to get proactive with your life, start by committing to self, taking care of you as a whole. Invest time in learning lessons and using wisdom on how to apply them to your everyday life. It is okay to have knowledge but remember it  is beneficial to our life and well-being when we do not become a knowledge hoarder but to learn and take immediate action.  Just as your career is important so is your health, just as your relationship with others are important a relationship with self is important. Being available for self is just as important as being available and in service to everyone , being a good  parent is important and it is important to be a good person that is committed to not be limited by the roles we play or the positions we are in . Self-accountability and having integrity are just as important and even more important than having accountability partner, why? No one can want a good life for you more than you are willing to work for it and you have to be committed to no quitting on yourself.  Procrastination is a fancy word that Is used to cover the definition of lazy do not allow your need to be comfortable in the moment to rob you of the opportunity to be extraordinary in the long run.