The Wonder
Sometimes you can do a thing so often that it becomes mundane. For example, I believe I took about 13 trips last year. Im not bringing this up to brag, but to add context to my story. I was recently chatting with someone who may only fly once or twice a year and they were thrilled to be on the flight and to travel. While I am often excited to fly I can often forget the beauty of just preparing for the trip. There are so many small moments that I can take joy such as being at the airport, being on a plane, eating delicious snacks, experiencing other cultures and cuisines and so much more! So, as I prepare for new trips this year, my prayer is that I remember to relish in the wonder of the small moments! There’s so much beauty in the world if we will look wonderful in moments.
What is something you do often that you forget to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the process?
“Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:26 NLT
Is He God or Is He God?
Spoiler Alert: God showed and showed out at my “Self-Publishing You Workshop”. I should tell y’all, I’m the person which will read the last chapter of a book because I want to know how the story will end and then go back and read the beginning. 😂
Anywho, I’m a witness when you do what God told you to do, he will show up for you in only ways that he can do! I shared last week about how I launched my second workshop and I was scared. But, I also realize if I don’t give God anything to work with how will my faith be increased? I see my faith being like a muscle - the more I activate it and use it, the stronger my faith becomes.
Is He God or is He God?
On this week I created my presentation for the workshop, purchased ads last week and also went live on social media to chat about the event. Listen, I get it most of don’t want to go live, but I know it can be helpful if people have questions about the content. After this I told God I did everything which was in my control and the rest was for him. Friday night I checked and no one signed up, but Saturday morning I woke up, prayed, signed in early to the event and y’all one person paid and signed up.#wonthedoit
Y’all, I hosted the class like it was a room full of people and it was amazing! She was amazing - only God could have ordained that moment and I’m grateful. I see this as a success because the people will come, but I have to continue to show up and do what God called me to do. I’m never going to despise small beginning because one day when I sell out arenas I want everyone to remember God did it!
Are you going to believe, Is He God or is He God?
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)”Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Do it Scared
I was sharing this story with a friend on last week and they thought it may be helpful to share on my blog, so here it is!
One thing I realize is that God will only call you to do things and use what is readily available to you. When I think about the story of David and Goliath, David used what was in his hands – a slingshot. Clearly it was more than enough for him to defeat the giant in his life. (1 Samuel 17)
But, even when we do know God has given us everything we need, we can sometimes allow fear to grip us or should I say – I can let fear grip me or at least try.
Storytime: On Thursday, of last week I am excited to share I am hosting my second Self-Publishing Workshop(Link is also in my bio).
After I pressed submit to share the event on social media, the thoughts of self-doubt immediately flooded my mind such as:
- If you hurry and delete the event know one will remember you posted it.
- You won’t have to be uncomfortable and worry if people will sign up if you delete it.
- What will happen if no one signs up?
In those moments, I decided I could sit and waddle in the lies of the enemy that haven’t happened or I could remember, it’s okay to do things scared and trust God. So instead of waddling in self-doubt, I shared the post even more in different communities and even purchased an ad for it. Since I did my part – even a little scared, now I have to trust God to do the things only he could do! Remember, it is okay to do it scared, but like Nike says, Just do it!
Family Matters
Y’all old tv shows are where it is at! I forgot how many good principles and life lessons the shows include. I recently watched two episodes of Family Matters on a plane and in those two episodes they stood around the piano and sang, “He Has the Whole World in His Hands” and they ate dinner together as a family almost every Night. I don’t have children yet, but when I do, I am going to implement that we I eat dinner together as often as possible and that we also have a family night and watch some wholesome shows together.
It is so much beauty in seeing a black-loving family together in a two-parent home, seeing their family values and how they navigate raising children.
Family Matters is by far one of my favorite television shows. In my opinion, there should be more shows with no cussing which you can enjoy with children. I still enjoy new shows as well, but I will always go back to enjoying older shows from my childhood. Honestly, the name of the show says it all, Family Matters. If you don’t have family, remember friends can become family too.
What are some of your favorite shows you watched growing up?
Be the Standard
I had the privilege of going to Bucee’s over the weekend. When I’m driving in Texas on a road trip it is customary to only go to Bucee’s. I know if I go to Bucee’s they set the new standard I expect for gas stations - although Bucee’s offers so much more than just gas.
When I go to Bucee’s I expect clean bathrooms, fresh Turkey jerky, fresh bbq, a ton of snack options and lots of other amenities. Prior to Bucees in Texas, there were no standards for gas stations. Since Bucee’s is here, they are the standard. The interesting thing is besides the beaver being their store mascot, Bucees didn’t go create a new thing - however, they did create a new standard - cleanliness!
As an author, blogger, content creator, writing Coach and so much more - a lot of time we are looking for ways to stand out from the masses. I’m sure many of you can relate. The reality is - we are the reason we stand out! Our vibe attracts our tribe and we create the standard for our industry.
As I continue to grow I know I will have more clients; therefore, I want to set my standard. I always want to serve people well, operate with excellence, integrity and honesty. My goal is to help other people grow by sharing what I know and to never exploit others for money. I’m sure there are other things, I’ll add to my list, but as I blog, write and or journal - my thoughts I share are my standard!
What’s your standard?
The Good and the Reality
Y’all know sometimes people say, if an opportunity isn’t for you then God has something else even better. Or my favorite one - a no-to-one thing is an opportunity for something greater? So, both of those things can be true…but when you are in the midst of a lot of no’s it doesn’t feel like it!
When I write, I always want to share the good and the reality. My reality right now is I have put in work the last few weeks and have received several hard no’s. I thought we were going to be shouting all January as the preacher says, “This is the year for increase.” and I’m like umm. I’m just being real yall. 😂
What is the church saying? God is good, all the time, and all the time God is good. But the reality is all the time life isn’t good even when God is good. To be honest, I would have loved to come on here and say I won this grant and my book was picked up by this company, but that’s not my reality right now.
In this moment of my reality, I have a choice to continue to move around or I can choose to believe the report of the Lord.
While I take a moment, I remember:
My scripture for the year is:
“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38 NLT
Even when I don’t see it, I command my soul and my body to still believe the report of the Lord. So, even when my reality doesn’t match my faith, I’ll still believe what God has promised.
God is faithful.
God is good.
God can’t lie!
Will you continue to look at your reality or believe God is good?
How is January going for you?
Lies
Listen the one person you lie to that you shouldn’t lie to is yourself! Like you know you lying - unless in some kind way, you convinced yourself that you are telling the truth. 😩
Storytime: Since the beginning of this year, yes I know we are only a few weeks in - but let me finish. Lol. I’ve logged my food daily. I don’t enjoy logging my food, but I will say it has helped me become more cautious about what I consume. But one day, while logging I knew I would be over my calorie intake and so I considered not adding a food item to my list. And I realized - why am I trying to lie to myself? 🙃🙃🙃
I know what I enjoyed and ate! It would also be evident when I don’t see results. There’s no need to lie or hide something from me! So I didn’t! I logged all my food items and said I’ll do better the next day, which I did! All that to say, whatever goal you set - be committed to the process! Don’t lie to yourself or anyone else. Yep, I messed up on my goal and I’ll try again!
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19
Limiting Beliefs
The first step in accomplishing a goal is we must first believe we can do it! We can have limiting beliefs that may hinder us from moving forward.
What are limiting beliefs? I am glad you asked. Limiting beliefs are things we believe are true that limit us from moving forward. Often time they are not factual and are a lie. When you believe a lie you allow the lie to impact you like the truth.
I wanted to give you a few examples to help explain some possible limiting beliefs:
I am too old to do this…
I am too young to do this…
No one will purchase my product…
No one will read my content…
No one will listen to my YouTube videos…
Let me tell yall, as a self-published author if I listened to my own limited beliefs which try to replay themselves over and over in my head like a broken soundtrack I will have 0 books self-published! Because I chose to believe I could at least help one person, I have sold over 100s of products as a self-published author! Not 1, not 10, not over hundreds.
Sometimes we have to take the first step and get out of our way to move forward. For every limited belief, I am faced with, I find a scripture to combat it. I am choosing to believe the report of God over anything else. I have seen his track record and it is good! He is consistent and he can't lie! Point blank period!
In closing, here are two of my favorite scriptures to combat limited beliefs:
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
What limiting beliefs do you have? How will you combat them with scriptures?
The difference between you starting and someone who has started is the other person believes they can!
2023
Hey, y'all! It's such a blessing to see a New Year! One of the things that I did which I hadn’t done in the past was select a scripture for the year.
My scripture for the year is: Luke 1:38 NLT
“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”
My pray on this second day of 2023, is “May everything God has said about me come true.”
I’m crazy enough to believe all the words and promises God has given me shall come to pass!
Believing the promises of God spoken to me requires intentionality. As I embark on this year I’m reading one chapter from the book of Proverbs every day for the entire year - Once I get to the end, I’ll start back at chapter one and repeat it! Sounds simple, but I have to rehearse scriptures over and over until they become a part of my being! In addition to this, I have to do my part and stay consistent in the things I know to do. My goal is to have all blog content completed at least 24 days before posting. Y’all pray for me on this!
Happy New Year!
2022 Recap
2022 flew by! Like wow! One of the things I always remember from reading the Bible was moments of them taking stones to make markers of what God had done. (Deut 27:1-8) It’s necessary to take a moment to reflect on a year or a tough season before new goals are set. Moving too quickly can cause you to forget some monumental exciting moments.
I was flipping through my prayer journal this morning, which I self- published this year and turned slowly through the pages. I took a moment to reflect on all the prayers God answered not only for me, but for others as well. God is faithful. He’s consistent. God continuously remained faithful through an inflationary year and for this I’m grateful.
Here’s some of my top highlights from 2022:
- Increased my relationship with God.
- Set boundaries and became more emotionally secure
- Self-Published my 1st children’s book, Kids Can Pray Too
- Exercised consistently for at least 4 days a week since June
- Promotion at work
- Self-Published my 1st Prayer Journal
- Self-Published my 1st travel journal
- Monetized my blog
- Coached over 4 new clients with their books.
- Traveled overseas to Portugal and Madrid
- Created a newsletter for my blog
- Saw my favorite artist in concert for the 1st time ever and so much more.
Before I set goals and plan for 2023, I want to take a moment and thank God for 2022. While, we only have five more days in the year, I know this is plenty of time for God to move. One word, one moment and one miracle from God can change everything.
What’s your top highlight from 2022?
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Psalm 105:1 KJV
Choose Life
- I initially had so many ideas to write about, but none of them seemed fitting, so I scraped them for right now.
I decided to share a topic that was prevalent in the news last week - suicide.
I first one to say, I understand the holidays can be triggering for some due to different types of loss, unfulfilled expectations, regrets, personal and relational responsibilities, depression, health concerns, financial issues and so much more!
I see you. I love you. I value you.
You belong here and you are needed.
While I know I don’t have all the words or may not even articulate this message correctly to portray what some may be battling - just know I truly do care.
Some seasons may feel long with no end in sight but be encouraged. Take courage. Know that God is always with you and will never leave you or forsake you.
In closing, I wanted to share some of my favorite scriptures I often re-read or commit to memory to help me on my worst days.
- Psalms 139 - read the entire chapter! It’s my favorite chapter in the entire Bible.
- “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
- “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
- “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, Which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 KJV
- “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Please also note you can text 988 or call 988 from your phone and it is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
* It’s available to anyone in the US.
I Get to Do This!
Recently life is life-ing! If you are new to my blog - welcome, but you should know sometimes I make up my own words. Just roll with it. 😂 So many things in my life occurring simultaneously in addition to working full time. Y’all sometimes between work and after-work activities - I’m exhausted!
But, there’s a phrase we say at our church and something I’ve read in several books this year which says “I Get To Do This.”
This phrase has helped me on so many long days of working when my eyes are crossed and I’m beyond tired!
This phrase has become a motto for my life - I get to do this!
I’m often cautious when I respond to my friends by text. For example, I remember recently texting a friend saying I have to do a task! I quickly corrected myself and said “ I get to do this!
The words “have to” sounds like a chore - while the word “get to” for me sounds like I have an option and it feels more like an honor or privilege.
I get to go to work every day.
I get to go to the gym and work out.
I get to blog and share my life to encourage and inspire others.
I get to write books.
I get to coach others and so much more!
We all know words have power! Life and death are in the power of your tongue. I challenge you to go through the week with the attitude that I get to do this vs I have to do this and share if it helped change your perspective for the week!
I get to do this!!!!
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
How Bad Do You Want It?
I shared this quote on my social media recently:
“Many people think they want more than they actually do and they settle for less than they can actually have.” - Earl Nightingale
I heard this quote from my mentor a few weeks ago and I chose to sit with it for over a week. It caused me to take notice and ask myself three questions:
- How bad do I really want the thing that I say I desire?
- If I really want the thing am I willing to do the thing it take to get it done?
- Do I only like the idea of wanting the thing?
For example:
- If I want to lose weight, am I willing to keep a food log if needed?
- If I want to save more money, am I willing to create and stick to my budget?
- If I want to exercise, am I willing to wake up earlier or go later to go the gym?
How bad do you want it?
Please really take time to think about this question. For me some days I really want it and other days I’ll make exceptions. So, I guess I don’t really want it. Once I really want it - it will be easier for me to get clear on what I want and set goals no matter how hard to achieve them.
We have this quote that is often said in my mentoring program,
“Successful people do what none successful people don’t do.”
"The degree of which you are willing to suffer for a thing is an indication of how bad you really want it." - Dr. Dharius Daniels
So, I’ll ask you again, How Bad Do You Want It?
A Week of Thanks Rambles…
It’s the week of Thanksgiving! First off, I’m not sure why corporate America doesn’t allow us the entire week off like the children - minus the homework packages we used to receive the week before the holidays. I was an overachiever in school and I always finished my packets on the first day out of school, so I could enjoy the rest of the days off.
However, it never fails, every year I forget something at the store I need for cooking. Like Every single year. Okay, so this time I didn’t forget something from my list. I had sage at home, but I should have purchased a new one. I’m pretty sure, I hadn’t used the bottle I have since the holidays in 2021. 😂Don’t worry y’all, I ordered some more sage because it is required for my dressing. Sidenote: Dressing is the best holiday food - to me. Lol
Holiday storytime: So one year we went to my aunt’s house for the holidays and no one made dressing. 😩 My mom decided she wasn’t cooking that year and so one of my sisters (I won’t share their name) and I decided to make the dressing. 🙃 #tragic My mom warned us too much sage could turn the dressing green and cause the guest to be sick; therefore we opted to not include any sage in the dressing (it was probably my decision). Y’all the dressing was terrible. 🤢It tasted like seasoned cornbread with onions and celery.
I digress. Well, my dressing is much better now. Lol. Anywho all of this to say, happy holidays to you and your family! Please feel free to share a memorable Thanksgiving story!
I’m thankful to every one of you who reads and or listens to my blogs.
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalms 136:1 KJV
Sabbath
I’ve always thought I’d done a great job of resting because I’m a professional napper, but not really. A few weeks ago, I decided to be more intentional in my resting and to sabbath.
First off - Ummm, y’all why is it so hard to rest sometimes?
Chillin' in bed isn’t hard to do - but being intentional about not doing any type of work was a little harder.
Sabbath is a promise God gave to us to work 6 days and rest on day 7 and to trust him. While my day of the week for sabbathing may change depending on my schedule, I am intentional about my sabbath day of rest. For me, my sabbath is about trusting God with doing what I can in 6 days and for God to provide the difference when I honor myself by resting.
In this season of my life I need to take resting seriously or else I will overextend and overwork myself by trying to say yes to everything.
What did I do for my sabbath?
I’m glad you asked, I’ll share.
My sabbath day:
- I took a day off Social media.
- Spent a few hours going through old prayer journals and allowed God to speak to me.
- I also did not work. I did not spend the day cleaning or washing clothes. (Side note - I’m considering hiring someone to clean for me.) 🤔 Back to my sabbath. I had the day off from my full-time job, but I also intentionally didn’t blog or create any reels, or anything else.
- The rest of the day I rested in bed and relax.
I can’t lie, the first hour or two I was tempted to log in to social media, but I deleted the apps from my phone, so I wouldn’t log in. As I go into week 3 of my sabbath, I’m looking forward to resting.
How do you honor your body by resting?
“And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”Genesis 2:3 NLT
Failures or Lessons
I was in Atlanta this weekend eating dinner and I overheard this young lady informing the waiter she had all the information in her phone to host an event. Y’all I was probably being nosey, but she was also talking loudly - so I listened too. I’m working on my listening skills. 😩😂😂
Anyway, this young lady had pages and pages of notes down to potential hired employee schedules. I’m thinking Geesh - she has more information than some people who have launched successfully. But like many what is stopping her and others from moving forward?
This lady had the money, the business plan and everything else but she lacked the confidence to move forward because of fear. She shared with the guy she was afraid to fail.
Can I be honest, there are several things I haven’t done in the past or feared doing because of failing. It’s a common fear. So, I completely understood.
But I’m in this season of my life where I’m more afraid of what happens if I don’t pursue something and don’t fail.
Each potential failure - is a “lesson” we learned of what not to do next time. Those same “lessons” can be used to “teach "others from the mistakes you learned. We are currently living in the Information Age. People will pay for information that they don’t know.
I’ll share an example I used of lessons I learned and how I turned into something used. I turned my mistakes I made with my first book, “Things I Learned Before I Turned 31” into my second book - “My Self-Publishing Secrets.”
I turned my mistakes into lessons.My lessons into a book to teach.My book into passive income.
I want to be clear of what I’m saying and what I’m not saying. I’m not saying start something without a plan, but also don’t not start something because it isn’t perfect.
No one is perfect, but God.
Think about all the people who are waiting for you to execute your ideas, gifts and talents into the earth.
From publishing my first book, I can now see fruit. I’m not boasting in myself at all. I’m boasting in God. I’m grateful God gave me the ability to create books to give him glory. Since I moved past the fear, I’ve self-published 5 items and helped others self - publish their books too!
In closing, my prayer is that we all get busy in this season executing what God has given us to give him glory and to bless others.
Horizontal↔️ Vertical↕️
A friend sent me a helpful message yesterday about relationships and worship. One of the interesting things mentioned was how can you worship God vertically when our relationships horizontal within our family and community are a hot mess?!!!
I was shook because while I’m very intentional about my boundaries in certain areas with others I can’t say my attitude is always right. Sometimes others’ responses trigger me. I wish every day was great - but Ummm it’s not. There were 3 things I took from the message which I will share below when it comes to how we should treat others:
- Give others grace.
- Follow peace.
- Love one another.
While all of this information sounds simple and practical in moments of heated discussions, to be honest, sometimes I have to take a step back because this isn’t my normal disposition. I have to ensure I’m not responding emotionally. In these moments I have to remind myself to invite the Holy Spirit to help guide and word my mouth even if that means not responding immediately. I also want to be sure I'm responding from a heart space filled with love even when it is uncomfortable for me. 😩
What are some things you do to work on your horizontal relationships with others?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
Kids Can Pray Too
Sometimes I think life happens so fast we don’t take time to lean in and sit in the gravity of the moment. I want to share my appreciation for my first children’s book reading. My friend said this comment and I’m going to repeat it because I agree. The pictures shared didn’t do any justice to the gravity of the moment.
First off, it was a full-circle moment for me. The event took place at the very first library I ever visited as a child- in the same area I grew up in! Like - wow! S/o to the Dallas Public Library - West Dallas branch location. In addition, two copies of Kids Can Pray Too are now in circulation at the public library! Ahhhhhh!!!!!! 🎉🎉
When I first wrote Kids Can Pray Too, I don’t think I understood the impact it could have on others - honestly I still don’t. I’m truly grateful God used me to give language to so many children's situations. It warmed my heart to hear stories from parents of their children going through similar experiences mentioned in the book regarding feeling alone, identity issues, bullying, transitioning to a new school and so much more. It’s so necessary to have community and support. Not only did we discuss Kids Can Pray Too in detail, but I was provided with amazing ideas for other children's books. I’m in awe of the moment and the experience. I’m truly grateful for every person who purchased a book, liked a post, shared a post, sent me encouraging words, and came to the Author’s Reading ! I appreciate all of you.
Kids Can Pray Too is just getting started! Cheers to more book readings and encouraging children to communicate more with God!
Wall Seat
First off I want to give a s/o to the people on my airplane row yesterday, they were the real MVPs and even assisted with naming this blog. 😂
So, as a frequent flyer I love window seats - unless I’m flying international then aisle seat me please! While traveling this weekend - I was given a middle seat on my departure flight and the person near the window kept the shade closed until we landed. 😩 Like why? How do I even know when we are in the sky or when we are landing? And why can’t I see the beautiful clouds? 😬 and then on my return flight home I had a window seat with no window. 🙃🪟
First off, what do you call it when there’s no window - near the window seat? The people on the row with me agreed we will call it a wall seat. Lol. It’s a speciality row. It was literally the only row like this on the plane. 😂
I truly believe nothing happens by accident. I also believe if you look for God you will find him in so many ways. He’s everywhere!
In my recent conversations with God one thing he’s said repeatedly to me is to trust him.
How does this relate to the plane?
I’m glad you asked. It’s easy to trust God when you can see how something you want will take off and or land, but what about when you can’t see?
Even scripture reminds us:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
For my flights this weekend I really had to:
1. Actually take off my earphones and listen to the flight attendant to know when we were landing and taking off and
2. trust the pilot to do his job without seeing where we were going.
In closing, since God should be the pilot of our life, can we trust him when we can’t see?
Picture reference:
Fight or Flight It!
Fight or flight! Your body immediately picks a side when you are going through an experience that feels traumatic. Majority of the time depending on the situation my body picks flight. Last week, I had an experience and my body immediately felt like it was in danger. It’s crazy what your brain tells you to protect you from any real or perceived threat. I immediately grabbed my luggage and decided I would ask questions later. 😂
It all happened so quickly and all I could think was let me flee (flight) from this situation and put myself in a more controlled environment to feel comfortable.
Fast forward another 10 minutes or so I calmed down some and told myself I could practice a healthier response to calm my body and brain so that I could make a more logical decision. So, instead of fleeing (flight) from the situation I went for a walk and calmed down. A nice brisk walk was a great way to calm my environment, get some fresh air, and slow the internal noise in my head. I understand my body’s ability to respond to situations to alert me to fight or flight will vary depending on the level intensity to protect me. Which is - great, but sometimes it’s okay to calm down and respond differently.
Do you tend to fight or flight when you encounter situations?
#permissiontothinkdifferently