Do you hear the music?

Good morning,

So I was spending some quality time with the family (LOVE) and my aunts were talking about how you know you are on the right path when you “Hear the music”. You know how in movies there is music to suggest how you should feel. In Jaws everything was cool until you heard “Duna, Duna, Duna, Duna” and you knew that something was about to go down. If you were anything like me, you immediately attached the feeling of fear for those people in that water. My aunts said when you are on the right path things will feel good and will just happen with ease. My aunt J said that when she went to look at a house with my aunt R she heard the music. The feel was just good. My aunt R agreed. Before they went to the house, my aunt R had already driven by the house. She said that she was a little afraid of living alone (my uncle had just passed) and when she went by there were all of these lights around the house. She said that she could see everything…down to the color of the dog in the back yard. There were lights on both sides the front and the back. She felt better knowing that it was so well lit. So, she moves in and she is not able for the life of her to find the switch to turn those lights on. They were no longer there. She ended up adding a few lights but she took it as a sign that the lights she saw before were there because that’s the house she was supposed to be in. I found this so interesting because I’m always thinking about the difference between “feelings” and “A feeling”. In my opinion “Feelings” are the emotions that you feel should be attached to a situation. Like when someone steps on your foot hard, you may attach the feeling of being “angry” or “annoyed” because you feel like that person should have been more careful. The pain that comes from your crushed toes is “a feeling” it’s not something that you can control. You may not want it to hurt but it does. When you are attempting to do something and you get this feeling that something is just not right, that’s “A feeling” but then you attach an emotion to it from your box of “feelings”. I noticed that when I attempted to be more structured in my life it was harder for me to live it. I always had a feeling of being uncomfortable. Things just didn’t sit right with me. Once I let it all go, things just flowed. I was calm and easy feeling. I mean I have goals and things that I want but instead of struggling to make it happen, I just allow it to run its course. I do what I need to do on my end and let the rest flow. When it’s easy, we are encouraged to keep going. When it’s not flowing but we keep pushing someone or something will get hurt. I just smiled thinking about someone I know that was trying to get into a gate. He couldn’t get it to open so his first instinct was to push harder and harder. He stopped pushing not because he couldn’t get it open but he came to the realization that this shouldn’t be hard. It’s a gate. Let me stop and try something different. He took along look at the gate and found out that it was locked and he needed to reach over and unlock it. Now you may be giving him the side eye right now but that’s how life is when you are in your “feelings”. Feeling frustrated he wanted to push harder. Once he relaxed “a feeling” of calm replaced frustration and he figured another way to do it. When we stay calm, a feel for the situation can become clearer. Then you will be able to really assess how you feel about that situation. This morning someone rear-ended me. Just a love tap to the vehicle but my world briefly ended. Now I was in shock. I could have attached anger, sad, hopelessness, or any negative feeling to what had happened. I chose to focus on the feel of the situation. There was no need to be mad. I wanted calm. I was already shook up so adding mad would not have helped. He was calm or at least he seemed that way. We exchanged info and then we went on our way. It went smoothly and I could focus on getting me back to calm. I kept telling myself that I was ok. My feelings were in a state of panic but you can’t believe everything your feelings tell you. The car was fine. I was fine. My hair was a little messed up and I couldn’t find an earring but really is that anything to be upset about? (oh and I found the earring) Even though the situation was not favorable the feel of it was fine. The point of all of this is that we can’t keep attaching fake feelings to situations. We have to be able to get a feel for what is going on and react to that. Life will be so much smoother if we just focus on the feel for the situation and not your personal feelings about situations.

Start today paying attention the music it will always guide you to what’s really going on……….

AND remember tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Let bygones be bygones........

Good morning,

Yesterday I was speaking with someone about “forgiveness”. This seems to be a hard thing for most people to do. I know I’ve struggled with it. I can forgive some people with such ease and others not so much. The discussion we were having brought up the question of how do you forgive someone when you know that they haven’t changed. I thought well there are times that you will have to forgive yourself. You will have to forgive yourself for holding on to something that doesn’t even matter. There will be times that you are angry with someone and to him or her it means nothing. They are not sitting and thinking about how you are upset with them. The mention of your name doesn’t cause any reaction. They are not losing any sleep because you are mad at them.  I will keep saying it, “You can’t change people but you can change yourself”. Sometimes you will have to forgive you for holding on to resentment. Forgive yourself for wasting time and emotion on someone that is not worth it. Do you know that most of the time people hold on to things that are not even relevant. I mean someone said something about you to get someone to think differently about you and in the end, it didn’t work. You are still dating, friends, married, etc to the very person that that heard all of the lies. So, why are you still holding on? Why are you still mad? Their plans didn’t work. You are still in the winner’s circle. Once you forgive and let go you will find that in that process you also forgave the person that hurt you. It will not matter if they haven’t changed. It will not matter if they are still holding on to the negative. You have let go of it all. The thing about forgiveness is that no matter what someone has said or done this is your opportunity to shine. If someone has said something about you then you have to be confident enough to outshine anything they say. We are created for greatness so stop getting in your way by holding on to foolishness. I don’t worry about what people say about me. If I happen to find out it will initially hurt, not so much because of what you said but because it damages our relationship. The consistency of being me will override any untruth someone has said about me. I learned a long time ago that if someone is willing to believe what someone else says about you then they really do not have a relationship with you in the first place. Take this time to forgive the people that have hurt you. I’m not saying be bestie’s with them. I’m saying let go of what they did. They can’t hurt you anymore because you forgave…..You didn’t forget. Be confident to know that no lie can make you when you are already complete.

Forgive yourself for harboring resentment and forgive your haters. They don’t hate you….it’s just misguided admiration.

AND remember a funny thing about forgiveness is that by letting go of something outside ourselves we are able to find peace within ourselves.

MAKE IT GREAT!

E

Raison d'être

Good morning,

It all comes full circle……….

There is a reason that you are going through the things that you are going through. All of the pains and uncomfortable moments happen for a reason. I’m always saying that I had to go through what I went through to get to where I need to be. My journey happened the way it happened because it was designed for me. GOD knows what I can handle. That’s one of the reasons I am not bitter about my life. At the time, it hurt but not as much as I thought it would. It had to happen or you wouldn’t be getting this message. There will be times that your storm will not necessarily be for you. That storm needs to happen so that you will be able to help others later. At the time, you will not understand why it’s happening but you just have to hang in there. In my life studies class we were talking about Joseph and how he was in and out of storms for about 23 years (may have been a little more). It seemed as every time things looked good something bad would happen. He was beat up and thrown into a pit by his brothers. Then they sold him into slavery. As a slave, he worked hard and became an important person to his Master until accused of rape by his Master’s wife. He was thrown in jail for two years until he interpreted a dream for the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh appointed him the highest rank right under him to help save all of Egypt. Now I ask, could Egypt be saved if Joseph didn’t go through those storms? I mean he could have been discourage and given up. It’s hard to stay positive when you have been beat up, thrown into a pit, and jailed. Joseph never gave up because he knew that there was a reason. He wasn’t super positive. He wanted out of his storms. He hurt but he never gave up.  When you give up you are changing the healing for yourself and for others. Because of your experiences, you will be able to console others and encourage them to keep moving forward. In that same time, you are also healing yourself because you were able to help someone else through his or her storm. I am a natural helper. It warms my heart when I can help someone through something. If I can encourage one person to be better or bring happy to just one person it brightens my day. There are people that I do not know or never really talk to that ask me how am I so happy being that the things that I have gone through usually does not leave one in the state of happiness. I understand several things. First, everything happens for a reason. GOD has a plan and I just need to be open to the lessons. I know that with every storm there is still love. The love of my family and friends is like having a raincoat on to protect me. I may get a little wet but a majority of me is covered. I know that every storm will come to an end. I will dry from the rain and be Erica again. There is no need to hold on because once it’s over …… it’s over. There is no need for me to look back. That moment is gone. You continue to build a better you. That person/situation was there for a reason and now it’s time to move on. If something/someone is meant to stay then they will. It’s not something that you will have to fight. If you are not happy at the present time in your life just hold on. Start looking around. There is a reason that you are where you are right now. Take comfort in knowing that it will not always be this way. Depression comes from the thought that every unfavorable situation will always be the way it is at that moment. I thought I would hurt forever when my mom went to live with GOD. I mean I felt relieved that she wasn’t in pain. I felt relieved that she was in GOD’s hands. The part that hurt was that physically I would never be able to hug, kiss, or talk to her again. You know what? My family and friends stepped right in. they didn’t need to be called or asked. They just moved in closer. They helped me heal my heart. Through that experience, I was able to be there for others that lost loved ones. I knew the feelings. I know there is nothing that you can say in the beginning. I know that later you can give words of encouragement. I know that there are things that you should think about instead of the fact that they are no longer with us. I had to have that experience to know these things. I am a helper. That’s why I can write to you about how to find happy. I was created to help, encourage, and be an example. I am not perfect. I make mistakes but it’s through those mistakes that I can be better the next time. I am still learning so that I can continue to be the person that I was created to be. The next time that you are in a situation or unhappy place just keep moving forward. Do not let your thoughts continue towards the negative. You are being prepared and it requires that you stay as positive as you can. You are where you need to be at this time. When it’s time to move you will. Trust me. When GOD wants you to move HE will make it so uncomfortable that you will have no choice. You never know what greatness GOD has in store for you so don’t miss out because you are not able to tell the future.

AND remember that there has to be a dark so that stars can shine bright……

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Flying above your fears!

Good morning,

Last night I was relaxing and a friend of mine sent me an e-mail. The subject was, “Fly above your Fears”. I click the link and it was Tyler Perry expressing how he overcame his fear of flying by showing himself flying a plane. It was cool. The thing that stood out to me was the message that appeared at the bottom of the screen explaining how he overcame his fear. The one line that stood out the most was:

“Seek to understand what you are afraid of and you will find that it never really frightened you.”

We are quick to say that we are afraid of things and not investigating why we are afraid. I am afraid of butterflies. Yes, I said it. When I was small, I learned about this killer butterfly but I am not able to remember the butterfly, the color, or where it lives. So, to me that means that they are all murderers. O_O! I know that’s not right and may seem silly but that’s how I feel. The point is I haven’t even bothered to go and check to see if this butterfly even still exists. I’ve just been a hater. We hate, don’t trust, and will speak ill of the things that we do not understand. We have to take the time to see if the things that we afraid of are worth being afraid of. I know that I am currently working through my fear of writing this book. I know that it is me that’s holding me back. Fear has no desire to help you advance your talents. It has no desire to see you succeed. We have to stand up to our fears and let them know that we are in control. Let’s take the beginning steps toward greatness!

AND remember you are put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, live out your purpose, and to do it fearlessly!

MAKE IT GREAT!

E

Love Under New Management!

Good morning,

Over the years, I have seen relationships end and people close their hearts because of the fear of being hurt. I personally feel like this is the time that you should be filling your heart with the all of the love you can find. When your love tank has been depleted, you should invest in yourself. Place your love under new Management!

You are in charge of your feelings and emotions. When they get out of hand because of someone or something is when we have a problem.

When my emotions were out of control, I did the following:

First, I prayed everyday for happiness and an unbitter heart. I know that GOD, my family, and friends love me unconditionally. Since I already knew love, I knew that situation was not love but that didn't mean that love wasn't still out there for me. That situation was not going to stop any show! I keep the prayer simple. I needed to be in a space to find my happy again. I needed to be happy with just being me. I prayed for an unbitter heart because I didn't want any negativity while I was filling my love tank with self-love. Focus, Focus, Focus.... for every negative thought I replaced it with 2 happy thoughts. I also kept reminding myself that I was unhappy in that situation so it was time for some happy.

Most of you know that I immediately ran to see Nancy! I wanted to work on how to make me better. I needed to find all of the things that I contributed to the situation. I could not sit there and think I was perfect and that nothing was my fault. I had to change some things in me. One of those things that I decided to change was my attitude. I can't lie I was negative. I know that I probably spoke death into that situation. I decided that I was going to be happy all day every day. I started with the mornings. I woke up just happy to get another chance at life. Then I moved to midday happiness. I tried to look at everything in a happy light. If I didn't have something nice to say, I didn't say anything at all. I surrounded myself with people that loved me and wanted to see me happy. I'm so blessed to have the circles that I have because they further let me know that everything was going to be ok even though things looked cloudy at the time.

Over time, it became easier to just be happy. I didn't need a reason. I didn't need to remind myself of why I was working on happy. I deserved it so I went after it and POW it was right there waiting for me. Now my happy outweighs my not so great days. I still have them but I KNOW that it's just a moment. I am human so I will have them but I just look at all my blessings and a smile appears on my face. I placed my love and everything else under new management. I cannot do things the same way anymore. I want different so I have to be different. I can honestly say that since I have changed my attitude so many positive things have happen to me. I know that there is so much more to come so I am able to smile knowing that this is just the beginning.

I share these things with you because I want you to be happy also. I want you to be able to let go of any unnecessary things and put your love under new management. Stop allowing yourself to be hurt. It's not someone else or the situation..... it's YOU. Do your part to attempt to fix your life. Being the victim will not get you to happy. It may get you a little sympathy but it won't move you to Happyville. How does the saying go, "In order to get something you never had, you have to do something you've never done". I have never been this happy. I believe it's because I have never went looking for it......

What are you going to do?

AND remember do not let your past dictate your future. It’s in the past for a reason……

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Go for the Goal, Not the Timeline

Good morning,

I read this and thought “SHARE!”

Once upon a time, I was an ambitious college girl with my life planned out in a neat little schedule of events. I would of course find a good job right out of school. I would have my master’s degree by the time I was 25. I was going to buy a brownstone in Brooklyn by the time I was 27. I was going to earn my Ph.D. by the time I was 30. Somewhere in there, I was going to get married and have some more kids and do it the right way. And then I graduated. And reality took that little schedule, drop-kicked it, put it in a headlock and made it cry for mercy.

As time went on and things on my To-Do in Life List weren’t getting crossed off by deadline, I pushed them back because, hey I was still young. Then my 30^th birthday showed up, all uninvited and what not, and I was so emotional. I got salty whenever someone teased me about it, which meant I spent a good amount of time with my mouth poked out and my butt on my back because between my uncles, cousins, mother, and aunts, I’m surrounded by folks who like to make their fair share of jokey jokes. It wasn’t for vanity reasons. I come from good genes. My mom, my grandmother, everybody aged beautifully, so I wasn’t worried about getting wrinkled and gray before my time. I struggled with being disappointed in myself because I felt like I didn’t have anything to show for 30 years of life.

Depending on what you’re talking about, 30 really isn’t that big of a number. Thirty dollars isn’t an exorbitant amount of money, 30 people at an event isn’t overwhelming and unless they’re holding on for the bathroom or their first meal after a hunger strike, a 30-minute wait wouldn’t hurt anyone. But 30 years is a whole other story. And I felt like a failure because I hadn’t accomplished any of the things I said I was going to accomplish in that time. I felt like I wasn’t where I was supposed to be in life. I needed to define what 30 looked like and I felt behind in my own life timeline.

Factor in the added pressure I put on myself because I’m the first person in my family to go to college. My mom, my grandparents, everyone in my family, really, has worked in a factory of some sort, so I was the golden child, groomed to get an education and use my mind and not my hands to make a living. Every generation should do a little better than the one before it—especially with a college degree—but as far as I could tell, I really wasn’t living any larger than they were when they were the big 3-0. I was waiting to become this Great African-American success story and I wasn’t doing anything spectacular at all.

I think a lot of women struggle with the life timeline. I know it’s a hot topic of discussion among my circle friends, where we thought we’d be at this age and where we actually are. We’re all waiting on marriage and babies. Some of us have advanced degrees, some are in the process of finishing them. Only one of us has a house. But we’re all looking forward to something or another that we thought we’d have by now in order to make our lives complete. We’ve set up expectations of when something should happen, when things should pop off. But, much to our chagrin sometimes, God has his own calendar and his own deadlines, and our lamenting 30 wasn’t rushing him in the least little bit.

Two years after hitting that milestone age, I’m learning to be mindful that my success isn’t going to be mapped out according to years or ages, but when God can best use me. I might not have been ready to be a good wife at 25 and I might’ve wasted my money on a Ph.D. at 28 because I wasn’t mature enough to put it to work. There’s a point when you fight for your goals and there’s a point where you have to ask yourself if you’re fighting too hard for something because it’s just not the right season. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set goals, even possible dates for when you’d like to have them achieved. You just can’t be so rigid about them that you focus on the accomplishment more than the journey that it takes to get there—though I may need someone to remind me of that every now and then. Be determined, but don’t be defined by your age or your own personal deadlines.

You’ve got time.

Read more: http://www.essence.com/2012/02/24/the-write-or-die-chick-go-for-the-goal-not-the-timeline/#ixzz21Y7z4HGc

MAKE IR GREAT!

E

It's all on you..............

Fantastic Friday!!!!!!!!

I hope that you are having an awesome morning.

Are you enjoying your life? I ask because this morning I briefly looked at my twitter and there were sooooo many negative tweets about life.  The more that I thought about it I do not see many tweets about the great things that are happening in people’s lives. I mean do people ever go and look at the view that only shows what they post. That will tell you how a person is really feeling. I am constantly thinking about my life and how I want to live it. I want a life full of love and Happiness. I want to be able to share these feel good moments with you. We do not know what life will bring so we need to enjoy every moment that comes our way. Let’s start today appreciating the life that we have and getting ready for better things to come. Change your current mood to SUPER HAPPY. Be the positive magnet that attracts all good things. Do not dwell on the past. It’s over. If your past is still alive in your present it’s because you are allowing it. Whatever happened, you should deal with it and keep moving forward. Life is as wonderful as you want it to be. Make up your mind. What do you want? Life is not going to wait around. It‘s going to move whether you are onboard or not. No worrying today. Write your worries down, think of a solution, and then let it go. There will be a time that every worry/concern will need action but until then just relax. KNOW that things will be handled. Have Faith. Your worrying will not make it move faster or get it solved any quicker. You will only wear yourself down. Create positives in your life. My happy may not be your happy. Find what works for you and GO GET IT!!!!!!!

Happy is waiting for you…..what are you waiting on?

AND remember happiness is a choice. Your circumstances can affect it, but you’re still the one who decides your happiness

MAKE IT GREAT!

E

Make a difference.........

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!!!!

*SPRINKLE*

How often do you reach out to put a smile on someone’s face? Not on some “I’m trying to holla at you” type stuff but just the desire bring joy to someone’s day. I find an abundant amount of joy in making someone else smile. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I will send hand written notes (If I have your address), text messages, e-mails, or I may just call just to say something nice to a person. It times like this that can change a person’s day thus changing their energy. That one act of kindness will spark a positive light inside of them and it will attract other positives. You never know how you can add to someone’s happiness. PLUS when you send out happy, it comes back to you. Usually when you tell someone, “Have a great day” they will say it back to you. I know that when I tell my family how much I love them they waste no time telling me the same.  I grew up sharing love so it’s a no brainer for me to want to share it outside of my family unit. I know how happy feels and I so want everyone to get some of it. I’m convinced that once you get that first taste of happy you will want it more and more. I know I do. I’m always saying, “Happy is as Happy does….so what are you doing?” and I know for me I am always trying new things to keep the happy going. Happiness comes from within. It’s cool if you have something to trigger it but it’s up to you to maintain it. When you make up your mind to be happy anything positive that comes your way is icing on the cake!

Soooooooo, reach out today and sprinkle some happy on someone and yourself!

AND remember a JOY shared is a JOY doubled!

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Clutter........

Good morning,

I find myself in a constant state of thinking. Thinking is not bad but when things are not quite right I will over think things. I then have to correct myself. I have to be the one to guide my thoughts back to positivity. I learn from the things around me but I am in control of me. I woke this morning with my mind on the wrong thing. I felt exhausted. I got into my truck to go to work and after speaking with GOD, I began to meditate. When I meditate, I do not always close my eyes and sit Indian style. I just find one thing to think about and focus only on that. This morning I chose to think about Joseph from the bible. Yesterday we did a character study on him in my life studies session. I thought about who he was, his parents, and his life. I thought about his journey and how it aligns with our lives. By the time I made it to work, I was in a better mood. I was not better because anything happened. My mind was free of the swirl of “what ifs”. I am open to accept what the day will bring because I am not bogged down with things that are not conducive to me having an awesome day. I feel that I am constantly saying, “Get your mind right”. When I live in a haze of feelings I am not able to decipher what is good and what is not so great so therefore; I have to keep a clear head. This morning I was able to get a clearer picture of what I learned yesterday. Yesterday I was in my feelings so the message was tossed in with all of the other jumbled up thoughts and I was not able to complete the thought. Anywhoo, the message I received was that GOD doesn’t always take me out of unfavorable situations. What HE does is make me strong enough to endure the journey, thus making me a better person. We all have a journey.  When the road gets rough, that is not the time to give up. Keep moving forward and take comfort in knowing that it will not always be this way. It doesn’t matter if your trial is small like a flat tire or big like losing someone. Keep moving. Clear your mind and hold on to what you know to be true. If that becomes hard for you think about all of the other trials in your life that you have come through. Is that not proof enough that you are favored? I will not allow myself to live in the land of “Doubt”, “What ifs”, and “Why”. You shouldn’t live there either. Concentrate on your journey and becoming a better you. The rest will reveal itself in front of you. Live peacefully. J

AND remember how you start your day is how you’re going to live your day. How you live your day is the way you will live your life.

MAKE IT GREAT 

E

Right now!

Good morning,

Yesterday I was speaking with someone and they asked me how was my day to which I replied “Full of smiles”. After saying that I thought about my day and I noticed that, some moments were not all smiles. I started to laugh because I have gotten to the point where I focus more on the “Happy” than the non-happy. I notice that if I have more frowns it’s usually because of an ongoing problem that has not been solved. Even then, I work hard to change how I am feeling because I know that it will be taken care of at some point. There are so many opportunities to be happy and I do not want to waste any time in the negative. We have to learn to enjoy every moment that we get. When we allow any moments to pass us by, we can never get them back. Enjoy life right now because once it’s gone….. it’s gone. I want to be able to always remember the smiles. Every minute of your day is precious and you should take notice of the great life you have. Give thanks for everything. When the pity party parade attempts to creep in on me, I always tell myself that I am blessed and as Yolanda Adams says, “It doesn’t have to be as good as it is now”. So, let’s not complain today. Let’s be grateful for what we have and make room in our hearts for future blessings.

I heart you all……. (Enjoy this moment. J)

AND remember if you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is…..

MAKE IT GREAT!

E

Yep, that was supposed to happen...

Good morning,

I believe EVERYTHING happens for a reason. There will be times when life seems to suck but in essence, you have to go through the thorns to get to the rose. Oh and believe me when you get to that rose you will not even notice the cuts and bruises from the journey. All of the pain and heartache that you thought you would never get through doesn’t even cross your mind because that rose brings nothing but smiles from your heart to your face. That is one of the reasons that I’m always preaching for you to let go. When we release pain or pains from the past, we open ourselves up for better things. Keep the lessons but let go of the feelings. I mean if you want to continuously feel pain then by all means keep holding on to it….lol. Things that happen in your past had to happen to make you the person that you are supposed to be. Just stay mindful that those things are gone.  You should be smiling just knowing that. It’s like taking a test and you do not pass the first time. That’s doesn’t stop you. You learn and then you go after it again. When you do pass the test you don’t sit around thinking about failing the first time and how it felt. You keep it moving. That is how all aspects of your life should be. I read a quote that says, “Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience come from bad judgment”. Everything happens for a reason and if we make the wrong decision we just have to be better the next time…..because there will be a next time. Let’s remember storms are temporary…. Happiness is forever!

Smile and *SPRINKLE*

And remember things fall apart so that better things can fall together #POW

MAKE IT GREAT

E

I heart you

Good afternoon,

Love Hard.

Don’t miss out on the greatest feeling because you are scared. The joy of love will outweigh any pain that you will ever experience. When you are in pain it’s love that brings you back. It could be love from others or just love from you. I told you that love is enough so why not experience it all. The energy of fear keeps you closed off from receiving love but opens you up to receiving pain. Fear is built because there is an anticipation of getting pain from somewhere or someone. You are already manifesting it in your life. Let’s build an anticipation of obtaining love. Let’s make every day that we wake up feel like Christmas morning for small children. Love….. just Love… the feeling is the best. Let’s love just for the sake of Loving.

Today submerge yourself in love.

AND remember love is the greatest refreshment in life.

MAKE IT GREAT

E

*singing* Give it up, turn it loose...........

Good afternoon,

So yesterday in my “Life Studies” class, the lesson was about Esau and Jacob. You may already know the story but I will do a quick recap. Esau and Jacob are brothers. Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright and then stole Esau’s blessing. Jacob is not the most honest person. He would be a great soap opera character. Anywho, Jacob’s mom heard Esau talking about killing Jacob so she told him to flee. He did. Jacob stopped to rest and had this dream with ladders, Angels, and GOD at the top (Go read it). God told Jacob told he had his back and everything was going to be all good. Jacob wakes up and is feeling pretty good but still has doubt because he basically says, “IF GOD does all this then HE will be my GOD”. Jacob leaves the rock as a marker for that spot and moves on. He stacks up his paper (cattle, sheep, oxen…etc). Then haters come out and GOD tells Jacob, “Go home I got you”. Jacob still being afraid about his brothers’ feelings toward him, being the dealmaker/con artist that he is he sent a message to his brother saying, “I am your servant and I have been living with our uncle. I have all acquired all of these things and I am sending these messengers to let you know that I am coming with the hopes that I may find favor in your eyes”. Well Esau sends back that he is already on his way with 400 men. Jacob went into to plan mode and split his people into two camps in fear that Esau was coming to destroy them all. Once he finished his plan, he (for the first time) prayed to GOD reminding him that he promised to have his back. He told GOD that he knew that he was not worthy for all that HE has already done but please help him through this situation. After that night’s preparation to meet his brother he was alone and then found himself struggling with a man. The man sees that Jacob is not going to give up so he touches his hip and it pops out of place. Even though the man wants Jacob to let him go, he won’t until he blesses him. So, the man asks his name and he says, “Jacob”.  The man says that’s no longer you name. It’s now Israel for you have struggled with GOD, and men, and have won. Jacob limps to meet his brother and Esau is so happy to see Jacob. He embraces him and Jacob realizes the power of GOD…..

*Love Life Studies*

Sorry, for the long recap…. It could have been longer because I skipped some things…….

The point of all of this is that GOD has promised us a great life. He has given us the ability to choose what we want to do with it. We can plot, plan, and make deals all we want but there will come a time that we will have to give it all up, confess who we are, and let GOD do what he promised. When going through a storm we will struggle with GOD because we are not willing to let go of the worry of a situation. I was watching the Oprah and 50 Cent interview and 50 said, “Pray or Worry…. Don’t do both. When you do worry what do you think you are saying to GOD?” By not letting go, you are basically saying that you don’t fully trust GOD to handle it. #POW Do your part, pray, and let it go!!!!! Think about it like this….. When you tell/ask the person that you trust the most to do something, do you run behind them seeing if it’s done? Do you go ahead and do it yourself? If you do those things then you really don’t trust that they will get it done so why ask them at all. Jacob was not perfect. He doubted GOD. He didn’t even have a relationship with GOD but GOD made a promise and he followed through with that promise. Jacob was a changed man when his brother hugged him and was happy just to see him.  All of the storms and trials that we will go through know that there is a “promise” so things will work out. Even when we struggle and get in our own way…..GOD will make it so difficult and painful that we will have to move. When we begin to move and let go, GOD will show up and show out…… If you don’t believe me….. Try it for yourself.

Yesterday after this lesson, I got back to my desk and spoke to GOD about some things that were on my heart. Afterwards, I finished some things that I was in the process of and then went back to work. I finished my day in a better mood but not at 100%. On the way home (not even 3 hours later) I got a phone call addressing EXACTLY what I had just spoke with GOD about. I instantly began to cry. I know that I need to work on not making the same mistakes but HE knows my heart and when I confessed with my mouth, HE was right there. I didn’t expect any immediate change. I just knew that I was done with worrying about it. GOD has proved to me time and time again, how HE has my back. HE has never let me fall. That is why I have to share all of these things with you. I am not perfect by any means and yet GOD keeps looking after me. I try not to worry about things that I cannot control. I can only stay prayed up and encourage myself to keep moving forward. When I changed me, GOD changed my circumstances…..

Today let’s let it go. Let go of any pain or worry that we have. Give it all up for the promise of a better life.

AND remember letting go doesn’t mean that you have given up; it means that you are strong enough to trust that it will be done……

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Figure it out

Good morning,

“In order to get something you never had you have to do something you have never done”

What is it that you want out of your life? Are you getting it? If not then you need to try a different way to get it. What you are trying at this point is not working so why keep doing the same thing but expecting a different result? There comes a point where we have to look at ourselves and ask, “Who am I and what do I want out of this life”. Stop beating ourselves up with woulda, coulda, shoulda’s and make a plan.  A PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take out a piece of paper and write down the goals. Don’t go into much detail just write a couple of words. Example: Write a book. Now that’s not hard to write. Heck that’s the easiest part of that goal….lol. Once you have everything written down then the next step is to do some research on what it is that you want to do. I mean you have to figure out how to do it. You may not have noticed but you are working on your goal at this point. Don’t think about the goal. Think about what you are doing at that moment. When we get too far ahead of ourselves all of the tasks that need to be accomplished can overwhelm us. One-step at a time is what needs to happen in order to accomplish anything. Life is a journey. We cannot live our past, present, and future at the same time and this seems to be something we understand. Well that understanding also goes for our goals. Take it slow and make it happen. Start with recognizing the true you and what that "You" wants in this life. Then go forward!

Today take some time to get to know you.

AND remember find what makes your heart sing and create your own music

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Enough

Good morning,

Someone once asked me if love was enough. I personally feel that love is enough. We do out so many things of love. That one person that makes not so great decisions but yet you help because you love them. Giving that dollar to the person standing on the corner is because of your love for humanity. You do these things not because you have to but because of the love that you have in your heart. Love is what keeps you going when pain attempts to smother us. When I think of how to love, I think of the way that GOD loves me. I am not perfect but that does not change the love that GOD has for me. That is how I love. That is how I want to love. I never love a person based on how perfect they are. If we did, we would never love.  My love pushes me through any situation. My love keeps me in a positive state of mind. The great thing about love is that it never has to be proved. Love shines all on its own. I believe when they say, "Do all things through love" it means to go beyond what you feel and do it out of love. Now the question was asked regarding relationships and I feel that love is not enough when it is only coming from one person. A relationship requires the efforts of two people. Whether there is love or not it still takes to people to make that work. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean that you are supposed to be in a relationship with them. Your love does not mean that you are equally yoked. You can love someone and not want to be in a relationship with them. To feel, be in, express love the only thing that is needed is you. Love is the main ingredient not a by-product. Nothing has to happen for you to feel love. This is something that we should feel every day. If you do not feel it then you need to look at yourself and figure what YOU have to do to get that feeling again.

Today let your love shine.

AND remember love is, above all, it the gift of oneself…..

MAKE IT GREAT

E

Control

Good morning,

It amazes me that no matter how positive, when put in a negative situation the only thing that follows is negative discussion. Now it's not a bad thing to discuss the things that have transpired but we must not dwell on the situation. Let's discuss and adjust back to happy. Dwelling on things we are not able to change brings on discomfort and is that how we really want to live? I mean seriously, the discomfort that comes along with not so great situations can wreak havoc on the body. We must learn to take that situation, make plans for something better, and the get back to peaceful living.

Today cast out your negativism and embrace a calm state of mind.

MAKE IT GREAT

E

What are you bringing to the table?

Good morning,

Patience and a smile is what I needed this morning. I had to go and get new plates. I didn’t know that every 7 years you have to get new plates. I was disturbed at first because I love my plates. I am to the point where I remember the plate number and now here they go changing things….. That’s life. Life is forever changing and we have to be able to adapt. Anywhoo, I went down to the Tax Collector’s office and when I got there, line was already long. I didn’t make a big stink about. As we were waiting in line, everyone looked so sad. It was too early to look that sad. Yes, this is not how we wanted to spend our morning but we had to get it done. I had visions of my coffee floating through my head. I knew that when I got to work it would be waiting for me. In line, I saw how people were hostile walking out and I thought, “I hope I don’t look like that”. As soon as it was my turn I spoke my “Good mornings/How are you doing this morning” to the teller. I like my transitions to be a joyful experience for all. Guess what? She was in a good mood and the experience was great! I left and got to work in a great mood. I have on the cutest outfit and my coffee was waiting for me! The lesson here is that there will always be something that you may not want to do but it’s the attitude that you bring to the situation that will determine the feel of the experience.

Bring happy to every situation.

AND remember Joy is a sign that you are moving in the right direction toward your happy

MAKE IT GREAT

E

The in and out of you!

Peace is inside you.

Wherever you go, peace goes with you. When you climb on a bus, peace goes with you. When you are fighting, peace goes with you. When you are asleep, peace is within you. When you are frustrated beyond imagination, peace is in you. No matter what you do, there is no place you can go where peace will not come with you. Because it's within you. Through technology, we want to improve our lives. What I am saying is that the real improvement begins with you. I am not saying to sacrifice technology or to sacrifice your responsibilities. Accept your responsibilities, and while accepting those responsibilities, find peace, find joy in your life.

MAKE IT GREAT

E

The ride.......

Good morning,

How often do you take the time to enjoy the moment? Just a minute ago I stopped everything I was doing closed my eyes and took a few deep breathes enjoying a moment of calmness. I have things to do but I took just a moment to appreciate Erica. There are times when we are going so fast that we do not take time to check in with ourselves. If we do not take care of ourselves, we will not be good to or for anyone else. When we are not right internally, it also causes us to make poor decisions. It’s like a car….when we don’t take care of what’s under the hood then it doesn’t matter what the outside looks like it will all eventually fall apart. Appreciate the strength that you have. Even if you feel that you are not strong at this moment you have to realize that you are still holding on and that right there is STRENGTH! Take a deep breath and value the life that you have. I hope that you have an awesome 4th of July!

AND remember ultimate Joy comes from enjoying the ride towards your goal….

MAKE IT GREAT!

E

Who?

Happy Monday!!!!!!!

I was talking to someone this weekend and they were disturbed that someone was upsetting them.  I inquired about what was going on. There was no physical contact so there were no bruises or pain. Actually, there was not a lot of contact at all. I ask them why they were letting this other person steal their joy. They got quiet. I mean really, there will be people that upset or cause a disruption in our lives but it’s up to us on how long we will let this go on. I know that I can get hot under the collar when someone has stepped on my toes but I just remind myself that they do not run my life. I do. I decide how I am going to feel. There is a good chance that if you have burned a bridge with me I have built a shoe store and planted flowers around it. I have so many other positive things that happen in my life that I do not have the time to keep thinking about the negative. You have to make the decision…. Are you in charge of you or not? If yes, then act like it and make those haters a non…….factor in your life.

Today smile and enjoy the benefits of life.

AND remember when you let others dictate how you live there is no one to blame but yourself.

MAKE IT GREAT

E