Re-define Who You Are

Greetings friends!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Question for today.....Whose job is it to tell us who we are? Who has to right to "define" the person we were, we are or who we are going to be? You can't control others opinions of you (although your actions and character influence their opinions) but you can completely control your opinion of yourself. We often compare ourselves to others. We compare our look, our possessions, our children and our families to those of others. In this social media obsessed world we live in we also compare ourselves to reality stars and celebrities as if they were our next door neighbors.

Well my dear friends.....I am here to tell you.....YOU define who you are and if you aren't satisfied with your life or yourself at this moment, then RE-DEFINE who you are and become the person you want to be. Now please understand....this message has one very clear point....you MUST learn to be happy with YOU and work to become the best you not the best imitation of someone else. We each have individual gifts, talents and attributes that make us who we are. If we spend our time trying to be someone else, then we will never achieve self satisfaction or the happiness we yearn to have.

Re-defining yourself can be many things. It is achieved by being open, honest, positive, accepting and a willingness to change. Sometimes it means stepping outside our comfort zone. We have to become uncomfortable to be comfortable again. Quite often our lives force us to re-define who we are. Life changing events such as marriage, children, loss of a loved one, changes at work, divorce or tragedy change the course of our lives and as we adapt to these changes we re-define the person we are. For example, I lived my life to the fullest in my 20's (who didn't right?!). I was responsible for myself only and took risk and did things that now, as a mother, I wouldn't dream of doing. It was time to "grow-up" and become a better me.....a better me so I could be the mom my son deserved. Life changing events can be the catalyst for change but more often than not we may need to re-define on our on accord and not wait for a special event to be the springboard to our better, enriched life.

So, how do you do this? Start with personal growth. Everything you know up to this point has gotten you this far. In order to become a better you, growth is essential. Read books with positive messages. One of my favorite books is What To Say When You Talk To Yourself by Shad Helmstetter. This book addresses our self talk. It is so easy for us to say what we can't do verses what we can. Changing your perception of yourself is the first step to re-defining and becoming a better you. The second step is to surround yourself with others who have achieved the success you wish to achieve and/or live a life with the values and morals you have or are working to embrace. If I want to become an executive at work, then I want to surround myself with other executives. If I want to open a business, I surround myself with other entrepreneurs. The key here is to identify the positive, uplifting support system you need and allow those individuals to be the loudest voice in your head. Lastly, it is important to set goals for yourself and write those goals down. If I have heard it once, I've heard it a million times.....Everyone should WRITE DOWN their goals. That is so true but writing down your goals is part 1. Part 2 is reading those goals-EVERYDAY. Remind yourself of everything you wish to achieve and who you want to be.  This way, when the "old you" tries to resurface, the "becoming you" will take center stage.

There is so much more I could write about but for me, the 3 steps mentioned above are the starting point for my re-definition. I will continue to grow and work towards improving myself. Everyday I fall in love with the person I am becoming.....and I am becoming the person I always wanted to be.  I pray the same for you.

Love you all!!!!!

It's my look....don't judge me!

Greetings to all!! I pray the day is treating you well. We live in a world today where anyone can be anyone they want to be. Remember the commercial...Is it real? Or is it Memorex? Well that is the question many people ask when they meet someone new. If you don't like your nose....get a new one. Want bigger breast....how about DD. Your natural hair isn't long enough....sew some in. In this world of self absorption, keeping up the Joneses and physical obsessions, it seems to need for others to change their natural look is stronger than ever. With a simple nip and tuck or a little glue or yarn....anyone can be anyone they want to be. There was a post on social media today about weave. The comments that poured in from men and their views on "un-natural" beauty were as comical as they were informative. So...the truth is a lot of guys don't like fake hair? Or at least not the type that looks fake. They think women wear make-up and hair extensions to compete with and please each other. Hmmm...let me think on that one. I know several women who wear hair extensions...from what I can tell they do it simply for one reason.....to please themselves. I wear make-up and I do it for one reason.....to please myself. I do understand their point about wearing so much make-up it rubs off on their clothes...or if you do wear hair extensions, failure to keep your hair groomed is simply unacceptable. I am sure if I were a man, I would want to run my hands through my girls hair (I like it when my man does!!) so wanting a woman in her natural state is understandable. The only thing "fake" I have ever worn are fingernails....and even with those, the cost of upkeep and damage to my natural nails was too much for me so I let those go. I have been guilty of judging others, failing to understand why a woman feels the need to have fake breast, face-lifts and with my beautiful black sisters....fake hair. I have challenged women to wear their natural hair and embrace their beauty as it is. With that being said, I have also learned that a woman should do whatever it is she wants to do if it makes her feel better about herself. If it makes her morning routine easier....if she is growing out her hair and extensions help....if she just doesn't like her small breast and wants a little more cleavage than she currently has....it's her prerogative. Who am I to tell someone they have no choice but to "shake what their Mama gave them"? So gentleman.....who are you to judge? Who are you to tell us how we should look? If men didn't like it and women with "enhanced" beauty didn't attract them, they would stop...right? If men truly loved the "natural" girl.....not the "natural" girl with fine textured hair and chiseled features.....then everyone would be natural right? Our look is what initially attracts us to each other. It takes more than looks to keep someone. The love you feel should be based on the person inside not outside. If you were initially attracted to a woman with fake accessories...in this case hair, and you saw what she looked like when she took it off, would you look at her any differently? Would you have been attracted to the natural woman the same way you were attracted to her before the extensions came out? At this point you are attracted to the person's spirit not their look....or I am wrong? I get it guys....I really do. I love my natural beauty, and I did wake up like this!!! The point is, I have learned not to judge others for what they chose to do for their self esteem, beauty routine or simple desire to be different....and you should do the same! Love you all!!

Forgiveness

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. To be grateful-one must also be FORGIVING. At some point in our lives we all experience hurt and pain. Sometimes intentional...sometimes unintentional-regardless, the pain is still the same. The hurt we experience could come from friends, family, co-workers, lovers or strangers. Imagine this...... Amanda loved adventure. She was the first person to try something new. She wore many hats and always gave 100% to all her endeavors. She surrounded herself with like minded individuals....people who shared her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to do more and be more. She considered herself to be a supportive friend-always there to cheer others on. She supported friends and family without exception. As her success grew so did the success of others. She was overjoyed and did everything she could to be a resource for them. As time progressed, she found her show of support was not reciprocated. It began to eat away at her. She found herself beginning to despise and envy the success of others because she felt no support from them in return. This couldn't continue. She wasn't this person. In order to genuinely care about others she couldn't judge them based on their treatment towards her. She couldn't let their lack of support cause her to feel ill-will towards them. She had to forgive! Everyone looks at things differently. We see things and experience things via our walk in life. When someone hurts you-forgiveness is the only option you have. Without it friendships are lost, families are torn apart. Without it we are incapable of being who we were meant to be and doing what we are meant to do. Amanda showed her support and had true joy in her heart for her friends. Those who supported her openly did and those who didn't-didn't-but it was okay. She loved them always and never stopped being the friend to others she wanted in return. Love and support the dreams of others. There is plenty of sunshine for us all. Love you all!!!

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

Greetings to all!! I pray the day is treating you well. Do you think any of us ever plan on being left behind? I don't. We don't want to be people who always "talk" about it. We want to be the people who DO something with it. Making changes in your life can be hard....especially when you do it alone. The goals and dreams you have are floating in the universe waiting to be brought to life. Your dreams....BIG ideas....need to become reality but know, if you don't act, someone else will!! When that happens you will find yourself A Day Late and A Dollar Short. The only thing we have is time. Once it is gone....it's gone. Lots of people have wonderful ideas. What is the difference between those who do and those who don't? EXECUTION!! Don't be a person who talks about it...be a person who IS about it. It would be a waste to look back on your life and realize all you didn't do....don't end up A Day Late and A Dollar Short. Seize your destiny and find your MOJO!!! Love you all!!!

Remembrance

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Today is November 24th and for the past several days there has been show after show celebrating the life and remembering the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. He was a son, a brother, a father, a husband, a friend and a President. His untimely death left a nation mourning. The unthinkable act of assassination left a nation praying for answers. So many of the shows on television are stories from those who knew him, clips of his life, what's left of his legacy and many.....many people who remember where they were and what they were doing the very moment our President was shot. There are few events that happen in life that allow us to remember, as if it were yesterday, what we were doing and where we were. Those events are driven by extreme tragedy or pleasurable life moments. We have a need as humans to somehow connect ourselves to tragic events in history. For every history changing event that occurs, we read about it or experienced it. The same will be for every generation to come. I was not alive when John F. Kennedy was killed. I was not alive when Malcolm X was killed. I was not alive during the race riots, March on Washington or the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I have read about these events and I have talked to others who were alive and do remember, as if it were yesterday, where they were and what they were doing. I however do remember where I was and what I was doing when the OKC Murrah Building was bombed, 9/11, the O.J. Simpson verdict was read, the Rodney King verdict and the riots that ensued afterward. Those are moments in history my son will read about and ask me for a firsthand account. Connecting ourselves to these events allow us to be part of history. To be part of something bigger than ourselves and something that unites us with others. Events that in one way or another touch us and bind us. These events may or may not shape our individual futures but they do in one way or another shape the world we live in. Our need to remember allows us to cope, to deal with difficult situations. It allows us to mourn for others, for a nation, for a group of people or it angers us to fight for change, stop injustices, serve a greater good. Whatever the case may be, we remember. Our memories and our feelings are our own...No one can take them from us. We remember so we don't forget, we remember so we don't repeat, we remember to give honor.....do these things in remembrance of ....... Love you all!!!

Gratitude

Greetings to all!!! I pray the day is treating you well. Gratitude-What are you grateful for? Life is full of distractions, stress, obstacles, roadblocks and disappointments. It is a part of life. The bigger picture though is our response to those things. We have heard over and over it is our choice-we CHOOSE how we respond. Well in the moment, when you are experiencing that disappointment-it is hard to CHOOSE to be positive. What isn't hard though is to be grateful. We all have something to be thankful for. It's about making time/taking time to acknowledge it. What are you grateful for? STOP what you are doing right now and verbalize 3 things you are grateful for and SMILE while you say them. Your energy will shift....your mind will shift....writing this blog MY mind and energy has shifted. I am grateful for.... 1. My Life-I am thankful that I am LIVING and able to spend time with those I love every day. 2. My Drive-I am focused, motivated and determined to live the life I've dreamed of living. 3. YOU-Being a source of inspiration for others inspires me every day!! Without you my purpose would not be fulfilled. Years of feeding into others gave me a greater purpose in life. Every day be GRATEFUL!!! Give THANKS!!! SMILE!!! Find your mojo!!! Love you all!!

I was ALWAYS fabulous....now 40 is in front of it!!!

Greetings to all!! I pray the day is treating you well. It has been some time since my last blog post so forgive my tardiness. Today is a great day.....IT IS MY BIRTHDAY!!! Birthdays should be celebrated......it is another year of life GOD has given to us. Every year...every birthday brings new joy, new adventures and new challenges. I believe they are mile markers and an opportunity for each of us to reflect on the last year and plan for the next year. With that being said....I am 40 today!!! What a great day it is!! I am so excited about this next decade of my life. As I begin to celebrate the day and this new chapter, I would like to share with you the last......Turning 30 was a new beginning for me. I became a Mother, started a business and began the journey of BEING A WOMAN. My 20's were a time of fun....and there was a lot of it!!! So turning 30 was a new chapter and that decade of my life brought many changes. Being a Mom was the biggest one. Over the last 10 years, I have learned to love someone whole-heartedly. He has given me joy beyond my wildest dreams and watching him grow up and become his own person has been amazing!! I started a new career with a great company and learned so much about business and leadership from a dynamic man. He will never know how much he has impacted my life and losing him last year still carries much heartbreak. Nevertheless we continue on and my career has blossomed because of it. I have gained new friends who have become extended members of my already large (and sometimes dysfunctional) family. I strengthened the relationship and bond with my best friend and Father of my son. He is my family and I am his. Regardless of where our individual lives take us...we are forever together. So what is next? GOD willing I celebrate turning 50 I have an idea of what the next 10 years will be........MojoOriginal will no longer be a dream but a reality!! I will inspire, motivate and guide others towards fulfilling their dreams. I will continue to grow professionally and personally....becoming the woman I always intended to be. My son will be a teenager during this decade....he will be kind, understanding, a leader and won't sneak out of the house or cause me too much stress (Hey....I was a "good" teenager). My spiritual walk with GOD will reach new heights and my relationship with HIM will be physically visible and HE will allow me the privilege of leading others with their walk with HIM. My career will flourish and I will exceed my financial goals!! I will travel, love, experience heartbreak and loss. I will LIVE LIFE and cherish every day given to me. But for today.......I was always fabulous......now 40 is in front of it!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Love you all!! Susan