100 Days

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. I have a challenge...the 100Day Challenge. So this is the beginning of 100 Days-GOD willing I live to see them all through!! So many things can happen in a day, in 100 days. I challenge each of you to live the next 100 days...LIVE the next 100 days as if the next one is not promised for it's not!! What will you have in the end? Only time will tell-but I can't wait to find out!!

So this was Day 1-What did I experience today?? Well at my job I was given a new opportunity, a chance to grow and prove myself to be the valuable person I know I am. This opportunity will hopefully serve me well professionally and financially!! I also learned something very disturbing about myself-as a parent, I actually take the path of least resistance. As a single mother, coming home from a demanding day, cooking dinner, getting ready for tomorrow, I find it easier to let the little one watch TV and occupy himself instead of me taking time to sit with him and read and work on his writing, spelling, etc. It also doesn't help that he resist any instruction I give!! An over-whelming feeling came over me and I knew I had no-one to blame but myself. It is my duty-responsibility-obligation as his Mother to MAKE time so I can help my child learn and grow and become all GOD intends for him to be. That overwhelming feeling of guilt that all parents feel-Mothers especially-is enough to make you change your entire life!! So now-he will earn minute for minute-want to watch TV-MUST read...want to play the Wii-MUST read!! The evening wasn't so bad...it is just Day 1, only 99 more to go!!

What was your Day 1?? Take the challenge, not only what I will do for my son, but what I will do for me. Make a list of goals that you could accomplish in 100 Days. Start there and then map out your course of action !! You can do it!! Together we will!! Love you all!!

Surviving is just not enough

Greetings to all!! I pray the day is treating you well. It has never been more prevalent than now that we are in times of struggle and turmoil. So many families are working hard just to survive. Survival-simply having enough money to pay the bills, provide shelter, food, clothing and care for the basic necessities for their families. SURVIVING, only surviving. If it isn't by now, it should be obvious that surviving is just not enough! Simply getting by or being "comfortable" has proven to be risky bet for a families well being and financial future. Again, surviving is just not enough. So what is a person to do? What is a man, woman to do in order to provide more, earn more, do more for themselves and their family? Well, I am here to tell you that answer is worth a million dollars-but you can have it for free. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Well, I don't consider myself to be insane and hopefully you don't either, but unless you are willing to change, get ready for your straight jacket!! Your "survival" will not be enough. Find a way to tap into your unused resources. Find a way to seize your moment so your survival is more than surviving, it is living abundantly. An abundance that allows you to live the life you know in your heart you are meant to live. Don't survive-LIVE. Love you all!!!

Fraud

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. I feel as if I am at confessional (although I am not Catholic) and I am asking the Father to please forgive me for my sins, it has been a long time since my last confession. Well, this isn't church and I am no Priest. I do however view these blogs as my confession, a way to express what is on my heart and hopefully in the process help someone else face their fears, face their demons, face themselves. The topic for today-Fraud. I don't mean the type of fraud that first comes to mind when that word is mentioned-theft, loss of identity, a crime against someone. Oh wait-yes I do! I am referring to the fraud we commit everyday when we pretend to be someone we are not. The crime we commit against ourselves or those around us when we don't practice the words we preach. Are you a fraud? Let's be honest here, what do you say or tell others to do that you are not willing to follow or do yourself? Your "fraud" can be a multitude of things. It can be from the words you speak, the way you live, the way you dress or who you chose to associate with. Fraud in this instance is simply living a lie but believing it is true or failing to face the fact that you aren't what you seem. All of us have at one point or another been guilty of this. We pretend to make more money than we do by living a life above our means so we seem better than we are really are. We pretend our family life is great and loving when in reality we are cheating on our spouse or beating our children. We pretend that we live a life of virtue and quote the bible and give thanks to GOD when all the while we watch porn, curse, drink and steal. What is your fraud? The great thing here is if you simply admit to yourself that you are not what you pretend to be, then you can honestly work on becoming the person you want to be. Living in the darkness only leads to more stress, anxiety, fear and failure. Step into the light my child and uncover the person you really are and begin to become the person you want to be. Life is for the living, but if your life is a fraud, then you are already dead. Love you all!!!

SLAVE

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Do you ever have that feeling while working that you are tired, ready to go home, or would like to pick your kids up early from school? You want for these things but the reality is-YOU CAN'T!!! Why not, because your MASTER (BOSS-that is) will not let you leave work to do the things "you" want to do. No....You have to stay at your desk and work like a drone because that is what "he" wants you to do. The sad thing is, you are not the only one!! How many of you have wanted to sleep in and go to work a little late? On a beautiful day, want to leave and go enjoy the sunshine? Wish you could wear jeans today because you just don't feel like dressing up?? Trust me, I have been there. I have also been on the other side. The side of life that follows the rules you set forth. The side of life that allows you to spend time with your family when you want to. Take an extended vacation or sleep in just for the fun of it. Understand that until you live "YOUR" life and YOU control the events that take place, you are nothing more than a modern day slave! You may say to yourself, "I can come in late or leave early if I want to!!" Oh yeah...then try not coming in for a month and see what happens!! We must continue to work everyday to find our best self and live by our rules not the rules of someone else. True enough we do need employees, modern day slaves, to make the world go around. However, we also need bosses/owners-modern day masters that is. I don't know about you, but I was glad I was born in 1973 and not 1803!!! I would not have lasted one day as a "slave". But you know what else, I can't do it in this life either. FREE YOURSELF!!! I am digging my underground railroad, ALL ABOARD!!!! Love you all!!

Prada anyone?

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Let me begin by saying.....WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF FASHION!! For the average consumer we go into the store, look at what's available, determine what catches our eye and we buy. Who knew of all of the detail that goes into choosing clothing for a store, or better than that, the design of the garments and the audience they wish to attract. The Devil Wears Prada has new meaning to me today. I thought blue was blue-gray was gray and black was black. Who knew there was Dark Fallow, Gray melange or Dove?? Flipping through price books, what sizes to buy, color, fabric, stitching, etc.....all the decisions that go into a sweater that we eventually find in the sale bin at TJ Maxx!!! The novice of course feels ignorant to the process. I shop for what looks good, they decide on many other factors. Walking to the next building to for the next vendor along the way of the many we would see, I felt like America's Next Top Model on a go-see!! So this is really what this world is like??!! The studio was white-open-clothes on the racks. It reminded me of Rachel Zoe and the studio she works in. It is amazing to see the reality of it all. For many-it was just another day-for me it was an introduction to a fantasy life that us "regular" folk live vicariously through TV and celebs. The funny thing is the people in this industry all look the same. Tall-stylish-sheik, wearing blacks, grays, tall boots, leggings and skinny jeans. Jet setters between the US and UK. They live in Milan-Paris-London-NY. The women are married to French men, Scots and Brits. They hang out with artist, writers, designers and celebrities. As I look at the clothes and listen to the stylist talk about pulling looks for models, I see why everyone is so skinny!! The clothes are fabulous but don't be larger than a 6!!! :)) Love you all!

No Time Like the Present

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Today is a wonderful day to work on "me"! The snow is falling outside and since I am home, I have an opportunity to stop and think about what is important to me. I made the choice to stay home today because the weather may be beautiful to look at it is not beautiful to drive in. There is no time like the present for me to focus on my goals and dreams. Life is too short to spend every working moment working for someone else!! Finding your dream, your passion is something that requires lots of effort on your part. The effort comes from spending time to really work on what it is you want to do. There is no time like the present to start today working on the things that matter the most to you. I believe it begins with personal growth. I am a firm believer in reading books and surrounding yourself with words, thoughts, ideas, and people that inspire you to move forward. Lord, give to me a clear vision that I might know where to stand and what to stand for. Along with growth comes action-effort. It is easy to assume that if we think about it, it will happen. They didn't say "think it and they will come", they said "build it and they will come"! The effort was before the reward. Life is full of rewards for each of us. There is no time like the present for personal fulfillment. Personal fulfillment in every area of your life, health-financial-spiritual-love-any and every area that matters to you. There is no time like the present, make the most of this gift. Love you all!!

Unwanted Advice???

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Question for today....Has anyone given you "unwanted advice"? Their 2 cents about your relationship, children, job, what you do or don't do? At times the advice may seem offensive...How dare she tell me ......!!! The biggest offense usually pertains to parenting when someone (usually without children) tells another how to parent their child. As the Mother of a 6 year old, I can understand how that feels. We never want to think we are not good parents or we don't know what we are doing. However, as the Aunt of more than 20 nieces and nephews, I have given my advice a time or two, wanted or not!! So what's my point....again, I know Moms and Dads, until someone has children they don't really understand, BUT, it isn't that they don't understand, they just haven't experienced it yet. The advice they give can be beneficial because they see things through a different set of eyes and they are removed from the situation, so it is all matter of fact verses emotionally based. The same is true in relationships. If we are the second half of a less than perfect duo, we don't see things the way they are. IF we do, then we are at times afraid to pull the trigger and do exactly what we would tell someone else if the shoe were on the other foot!! Unwanted advice-YES sometimes people overstep. Remember though, the advice usually comes from a place of love, someone wanting us to see things for the way they are. Whether we heed to it or not, we at least should listen. Don't forget, we ALL give unwanted advice and then wonder why they didn't listen to us the same way we don't listen to others. The advice may be unwanted, but it also may be just what you needed to hear!! Think about that!! Love you all!!