The New Normal

Life can change in the blink of an eye and suddenly all the things we have been taking for granted we are forced to get present to them and suddenly we realize how much time we have wasted on things that were not that important. Daily we are all out on a mission some are activating their faith and committed to thriving many are busy trying to right their wrongs and actively in survival mode. The truth is whatever mode we are in we are sacrificing things daily, like trading time for money. Is it that we want to or enjoy missing out on very important moments in our lives? no, but very often we get so consumed by the chase of wanting more and what we think we need and must do that we never have a moment to breath and enjoy what we do have present. Daily there are people that are hoping and wishing for a moment or even a pass to just do nothing but relax and enjoy precious quality time with love ones. In adulting we rarely have the option it may seem close to impossible meaning that it is not completely out of our reach, but it just may not always be available to us. The greatest irony in life is missing the blessings that we have been praying for and asking God to do because their moment of relief may not come with silver bells hanging from it. Which leads to constant complaining, panicking and frustration from believing that we need to be in control of the outcome versus choosing peace and allowing ourselves to flow and grow from what we go through.

Last week Monday I woke up excited and filled with enthusiasm to win the day, I started my day with prayer, tea, and a 5 a.m. work out. Getting up is the hard part but the after feeling is out of this world very rewarding, increases my focus and productivity throughout the day and I will not dare forget I considered it to be my happy drug. The rise of a very deadly virus that has been spreading rapidly resulted in the announcement of the gym and many other places of gatherings being temporarily closed. I was in complete disbelief at first, then I transitioned into the phase of trying to figure it out, and then finally I was in the phase of feeling a bit defeated for a few reasons. The first reason being I am a person that lives by a routine one that plans and prioritizes my days beginning at  4a.m. -5P.m., the idea of me not having that time to give all of my attention to work because now my daughter will be home with me as well during this time. Adjusting to these changes without any real idea of how long this would last was a bit challenging for me. I had to quickly change my mindset and switch my focus from what is not working and may be an inconvenience to me and really get present to appreciate the fact that it could be worse. There are a lot of people with no real outlet, support, or financial stability to width stand these drastic changes. So, I chose gratitude, to zero in on how good life has been and really appreciate the moment I have been blessed with to enjoy excess moments with my family. Do I like the idea of being told when and where to go? No, but I that’s not my battel to fight my focus to no miss the lesson that God wants me to learn. To use this time wisely to get closer to God, invest more time enjoying the simple daily activities that I have worried about because I told myself I had no time. I am enjoying time with my baby girl and receiving her love, and doing different activities daily. I am also really enjoying biblical conversations with my husband, really appreciating his presents in my life even the very things he would do that often drove me crazy has not phased me. I appreciate the moments of adversity because they allow me to face the ugly truth, and re-center our minds, hearts, and attitude.

“We Have A New Normal , As You Move Outside Of Your Comfort Zone, What Was Once The Unknown And Frightening ,Becomes Your New Normal.”

In conclusion I want to encourage everyone as we are all experiencing this shift some of us may be affected more severely than others but there is still hope and so much to be grateful for. This moment in time is a moment that will be remembered and will forever be talked about years to come.  I urge you to begin to shift your mindset and your perception to let go of what we believe to be the truth, and focus on God. Prayer should not be an option it should be our first and only option, we may not have all the answers but what we do have is the word of God and His love to hold on to. In the meantime, take what appears to be an opposition as an opportunity to reconnect with self, open your minds, open your heart and, and be purposed in growing in faith. The word on Sunday reminded us that to die does not only mean to physically die, but there is such a death as a spiritual one. In this season let us invest time to reclaim our time, hit the reset button, and activate our faith, life is a journey don’t waste it by seeking security enjoy the ride and seek adventures. Buckle up and get ready to fully experience life to embrace the tests, appreciate the lessons and celebrate your blessings, life is what you make so give your best shot and regret nothing.

God Has Your Back

Life is too short to waste precious time worrying about what people think about you or the stories that are created about you. One of the most common self-esteem breakers and dream killers is to be over concerned about the opinions and acceptance of others. Fortunately, we were all created with gifts and talents but unfortunately not many of us have or will invest the time to master self and the gifts we have been blessed with. Fear, lack of confidence, lack of support, just to name a few are very common reasons that many of us allow to limit our thinking and our ability to discover our true purpose. The truth is while everyone has an opinion about what you should do and who you should be you are the one in control and responsible for the choices you make and how they affect you or benefit you. To know God and to have a personal relationship with Him is key to thriving in life abundantly.  There is a different feeling and level of confidence that an individual display when they have built a personal relationship with Him. He is always with us and always protecting us even from the things unseen or unknown to us, we do not have the power to be every where and we do not have the power to read minds or see the future ,what we do have is the power of prayer and with faith we trust that what we desire is already done because  God is always  in control.

Committing to living a life of purpose takes courage to stand alone, to step into the unknown, taking risks, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Many times, God will give us a vision and the instructions on how to bring that vision alive but what happens to most of us is we make life changing decisions out of fear. Sadly, for many of us, we have allowed our life experiences and past mistakes to discourage and distract us from doing what we love, and we what we know is the best decision for us. I have been guilty of having a vision and allowing fear to kick in immediately so instead of trusting God and believing in myself I open the door inviting people that weren’t for me or apart of the will of God. When you are unequally yoked and there are ill intentions that are not obvious to us, we begin to trust and open up about our struggles and our weaknesses. The bad news is the real hurt comes when you are no longer a necessity to their agenda or needs that you are kicked to the side without explanation. When one is hurt by the people, they least expect it does not only have an external effect it can also have a negative effect on their emotional and mental health. I will be the first to admit that it is panful ,confusing ,and it lead to me feeling   angry  and ,betrayed at times especially when you know who you were to them and the love and respect we believed to be real and shared mutually.  Here is the bad news everyone is not always who they say they are, and people will not always appreciate you for who you are, and lastly it is important to remember that hurt people will use your weakness against you instead facing their own flaws head on.  The good news is that it is not our responsibility to try to understand it, fix it, or get even. When we are present to these experiences it is our responsibility to pray about it and trust God to show up for you. The battle is not ours to fight it is ours to learn from without internalizing the acts neither should we allow them to change our hearts and who we are as a person.

“God Has A Purpose For Your Pain, A Reason For Your Struggle , And A Gift For Your Faithfulness Don’t Give Up.”

In closing I want to encourage you all to understand that when you live your life with pure intentions and spread love to everyone you do not lose, they miss out on your greatness. Life is not about playing it safe and allowing ourselves to be defeated after every adversity that we are faced with. life is like a game you have two choices to play to win or allow the game to play you. There are three rules that I commit to living by daily and the first is to pray about everything, Yes, He knows our every move and thought but it is our duty to commit all of our plans unto him first. Our life is not our own and we must understand that our purpose is a gift from God so before making decision it is important that we always make sure that our plans are aligned with His plans. The second rule is to activate your faith, “faith without work is dead. It is not okay to only believe but to allow our faith to promote action no matter the risk and the obvious limits that surrounds us. Last but not least my third rule is to always be true to who you are, while we can work on our attitudes and change our perspectives on life, we do not have the power to change who God created us to be. Be open to experience hurt and not allow it to define how you live and who we are committed to being in the future. Pay attention to the patterns and the signs, remember that everything and everyone comes with an expiration date and we all are born with the gift of intuition if we listen to it, we can never go wrong. As my husband would always say to me “you cannot save everyone you have to learn to see and accept people for who they are without compromising your peace and brand.” Hurt people hurt people and while they may never tell the true story be okay with trusting that God has your back and no weapons formed against you will prosper.

Celebrating Life & Home Going

Life is a gift and ironically so is death depending on the choices you made while you we are living. Sadly, most of the times people are only present to the reality that death is a guarantee and will not make it out of life alive at a funeral gathering. Although we know that no day is guarantee many of us carrying on daily as if each day is a promised, putting off their goals for tomorrow, next week, month, and even a new year. To Live or to exist are two choices that we all get to make daily, to live is to fully embrace and appreciate everything that life has to offer, and taking advantage of present opportunities. To exists is to live in fear run from risks and only see the downside of life, being consumed with little to no form of gratitude for the gift of life they have been blessed with.  The most difficult questions we are faced with at a funeral is do you know where you are going when you go, and what will your life story inspire others to do?  Are you living each day with purpose are you living at life that is pleasing to God?  It is normal and exciting to celebrate birthdays but unnatural to celebrate one’s home going why/ because our perception of death is and what it means to be absent from the body. We are spiritual beings passing through, and although our time is short, we all an assignment attached to us our in other words we all have been gifted with a purpose.

I suffered for along time with the fear of dying and there are moments where I experience a bit of anxiety behind the thought. The difference between my struggle in the past and me today is my walk with God the more I studied the word, the more I fellowship, and ask questions I have a better understanding which has been a great help for me. This past weekend I was blessed to experience two events of life celebrations, the first was a home going for a beautiful soul and the other was a fifth birthday party for a beautiful princess growing, exploring, and enjoying the blessings and freedom of youth.  The first part of my day although it was meant to be a sad occasion because losing a loved one is never easy; I am glad to say I experienced a home going celebration for a queen that left a righteous legacy behind. I left feeling amazed and inspired but I also had a moment to reflect on life and thinking about what would people say when I am gone, what will my story inspire others to do? I commit each day to living in purpose, but I made a new commitment to not only live in purpose but to live each day bold for Christ to serve him more and trust him fully. The second half of my day I was reminded of how innocent and free we once were, so full of life and pure joy.  The beauty is those innocent youthful souls are still within us, life is what we make it, the road we all take may be rough, but they approach to thriving and enjoying our gift of life is simple. Live in love, trust God and commit your life to living for God’s approval.

I encourage you all reading today to celebrate the gift of life everyday ,and while you are here  be committed to living a full and holy life that death does not scare and your story will be one that inspires and change lives while you are here and long after you are gone. We know not what each day brings but what we do have is the ability to choose the quality of our day, beginning with our thoughts. Change begins with you; the quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our life and the impact we have on others. Release your fears and forgive yourself of all the mistakes you made today is a new day to make choices that will change the narrative of your life story. Are you ready to change, are you ready to begin to live an obedient and abundant life?  Quit leaving your life up to chance, don’t be distracted by your daily experiences take notes and apply them to your future experiences. The life we desire and was created to live is on the other side of fear and fear has no power once we seek God and allow our steps to be aligned with His plans for us.

““Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life .””

Thinking Big

“Success is determined not so much by the size of one’s brain, as it is by the size of one’s thinking.” – The Magic Of Thinking Big. The quality of thoughts that we create daily about ourselves can have a negative or a positive effect.  As we experience life and we go through many different cycles of change and personal struggles that ultimately  begin to take a toll on us if we do not have the proper resources and people around  that can be a voice of reason to guide us back on track. Giving up may feel easy, allowing what happened to be a recurring experience daily in the mind which results in poor beliefs and thoughts about ourselves that decreases our power and our ability to rise above our circumstances.  The past does not determine our future it is a molding ground, and our present circumstances does not disqualify us from the marathon of life. We have one life to live and the first and most important purpose of our existence here on earth is to serve God, the second is to live to with purpose  to connect to the true meaning of our life with the short time that we have. In order fully understand life and what we were created to do we must seek knowledge from God’s word and use wisdom to apply what we learn and believe to be true.  In knowing and  believing  the word we know that all things are possible and there is nothing too big or too hard for God to handle , so being connected to this amazing source of life is reason to should encourage us to think and dream big be brave enough to live without limits.

In the year 2012 as I was preparing to graduate from High school as we know that is the time that everyone is engaged in serious conversations about life after high school.  The most common answers were based on each individual naming the top universities that they will be attending and what they will major in. My perspective has always been a little different because my dream was always to become a successful author and I was not very fond of the idea of attending college for four years taking on different subjects that had nothing to do with writing.  Taking out loans for college was something I never quite understood and was not interested in doing, which means that my perception and idea of life after high school was perceived by others as impossible. Why? because it was not the traditional way or order of living life, once we graduate from high school there is a high expectation to do what has always seemed to work or make sense. I did not commit to attending a four-year college but instead of believing in myself fully and trusting God to choose to do what I love I chose to do what would provide me with finance, stability, and temporary comfort. The beauty about life is that what is meant for you is for you and it does not matter how long it takes you to get there and the road you had to take to get there. The truth is in order to get there It requires faith and the ability to expand our minds to see and appreciate the bigger picture of life and think the impossible to be possible for us.

In closing I want to leave you all with this question “when was the last time you were brave enough to make a decision that promotes freedom, happiness, and abundance in your life?  Life is not about having regrets it is about living, loving, and learning from our mistakes. The life that we deserve to live is at our access it is limited by our beliefs about self and our perception of life and our experiences.  Live in your imagination without fear you are worthy and capable of so much more, but we have to break free from the stories we have created and told ourselves. Life is happening for us and not to us, if you believe that you are the only one experiencing life it is time to wake up and retire from being a victim of life and commit to being victorious. Life is a marathon and a journey that comes with a lot of bumps, bruises, setbacks, and come backs what is true is that we all have the ability to go through life and grow from what we have been through.  The examples that may have been set for you does not have to be the examples you choose to live by they can be the things you learn from that motivates you to make better choices for your life. I encourage you to not become a slave to traditions, opinions, and expectations and be free to live the life that God has created you to live. Have faith trust the process and the timing of your life, everything is happening for you and with great purpose.

“As Long As You Are Going To Be Thinking Anyway Think Big.”

Respect The Pursuit

We set the tone for the way others will treat and respect us by the way we treat ourselves set the tone, and the way we treat our gifts and purpose in life is how people will respect them. Many of us have struggled with choosing what is best for us and what we know we need to do because of fear and our need to be accepted. The truth is everyone has suffered from the seeking validation disease at one point or another.  The question I had to ask myself was “is what other people think more important than your happiness and freedom to live in your purpose?   The answer was no. once I was clear with what mattered most to me making the choice to flow became a lot easier for me. While we get second chances and multiple opportunities with certain things in our lives such as relationships, friendships, career paths, but the one thing we are not all as blessed to have is a second chance to live in our purpose. Our purpose is a special gift that has to be cared for, respected, protected, and taken seriously. Finding our purpose and choosing to live and walk in it daily comes with a huge responsibility that is bigger than us and what we have going on personally. Life is always happening, and it is our responsibility to keep growing and moving forward.

The first step to mastering self and the ability to face life challenges and still operate in our purpose is to seek God for directions and instructions on how to receive what is happening with an open mind and gratitude, yes, I said gratitude why? In everything we do and experience whether good or bad we must always remember to be thankful. God makes no mistakes and unfortunately there are many things that can factor in the result of the level of success we hope to achieve and the visions we have been gifted with. With my personal experience I have learned that while there are many there a three very critical and common factors the first being our level of confidence in our faith, the level of confidence in self, and our will to win. The key to manifesting things in our lives is to have the ability to believe it is possible before it happens  in order to have a great level of belief we must be sure that the thing that we are in pursuit of is in alignment with what God has in store for you and that you are operating from a space that is your true self. Very often many people will find themselves chasing things that are not in alignment to God’s plan and one that has nothing to with who they are to the core. The state of comparison, enviousness , and competition  results in pursuing things that are not truly what an individual was created to do .How do we know when we have found our purpose? you will know because there is a burning passion that we will feel on the inside no matter the storms we are in and how we are feeling it feels impossible to not commit and remain consistent on our mission where money and incentives is not a factor , your fulfillment and making a difference in the world means more to you than your excuses.

“Be Fearless In The Pursuit Of What Sets Your Soul On Fire.”

Each day we are blessed with new and endless possibilities it is our responsibility to be mindful of who we are being and what we are pursuing. Time is precious and a valuable source of life that we all must be committed to not taking for granted , just as we are aware of the materialistic  things that we cannot afford based on finances I want highlight this fact that we cannot afford to waste time. Invest in you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually daily, to get closer to God and have a better understanding of who you are and the mission that has been assigned to you. We all have been blessed with gifts and with the gifts we also have been blessed with the ability to master them. We must invest more time focusing on what is important and what is working for us, it is the art of using what we have and making the best out of it.  No one is blessed with a perfect life with a manual or a cheat sheet on how to win at life it is a conscious choice that we must make daily.  The life that we desire, the gifts that is within us is the magic that we all bring to the world do not allow your circumstances to and the cards that you have been dealt become your reason for never discovering it and sharing it. The beauty about life is the mystery of life itself to know that all things and everyone we experience comes with a purpose. It is not our duty to be open to try to figure out the order in which our life is meant to go  we must we be open to receive the lessons that will  break us down temporarily  to build us up and make us stronger and equipped for the mission of life with faith and purpose ,always appreciate and respect the gifts and the life that God has blessed you with.