Got Love? Check.

Today I want to share with you  my annual State of the Heart Address.

Last year, I made a vow to myself that no matter what happened, I would make a choice to wrap myself up in a Love Bubble.  My Love Bubble has been a tremendous eye opener. It has opened my eyes to blessings that I wasn’t able to see before.  My Love Bubble has literally changed my life, world, and spirit.

So this Valentine’s Day is unlike any other. I have a greater appreciation for myself and everything in my life. During the darker moments of my life last year, the only thing that changed was my thinking.  Through my thoughts, I thought myself a beautiful existence. Through my thoughts, I thought myself bigger than any circumstance. Through my thoughts, I thought myself as love and the desire to be a blessing to others. Lastly, through my thoughts, I thought myself blessed beyond measure! And today, I am all of these things,  through my thoughts!

 

What is your State of the Heart report?

Future Focused

Soul Food

Years ago, I had a tremendous battle with anxiety. But on the outside, people told me I always looked cool, calm, and collected. It was my secret shame. I thought, if others are not able to see the torment I feel on the inside, then I must be okay.  That line of thinking became a source of pride for me.  If you notice, I was living with unhealthy doses of shame and pride. Two very powerful ingredients for self-destruction.

As expected, my carefully constructed world came to a screeching halt.  It was time for me to make serious changes. My pride and shame cost someone like me a high price. I began to lose my self-respect and sense of personal intergrity. So I began to seek help from various sources to help me overcome this demon.

The biggest lesson I learned was that I have power over my thoughts. So I payed close attention to what I was feeding my soul. Such a simple assignment yielded great results. So I went into action by removing anything and anyone that was negative in my life. For example, I stopped watching negative tv, I spent more time with people who nurished my soul, and every day I would celebrate something that I admire about myself. I was blown away at the difference this made in my life.

Today, I am the author of my destiny. No longer a passive bystander of life. I make it a great day or I make it a not so good day. Either way, I empower myself to be whatever I choose. I feed my soul whatever it needs to shine brightly!

 

What kind of Soul Food have you been eating?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Future Focused

 

 

Can’t We All Just Get Along? No really, I’m Serious! Part 2

Anyone that knows me, is well aware that I live by the philosophy of , “Live and Let Live!”  My heart truly believes that everyone has the right to live a life that is most authentic to their spirit.  Rarely, will I ever join in unproductive debates about politics, religion, or things that I believe are wrong about a particular person.  For as long as I can remember, my mind focuses on discussing ideas and possibilities rather than problems and negativity. But once in a blue moon, I find it hard to remain silent about a particular situation.  So for those of you that normally read my blog posts, I warn you now that this post will have some differences.

I’m sure there are very few people that have not heard about the death of Travon Martin and the involvement of George Zimmerman.  There have been plenty of moments when secretly I have wept for not only Travon and his family, but also the state of humanity.

Over the past few weeks, I have heard so many bizarre and disturbing details that for my emotional sanity, I have purposefully stayed away from any news concerning the case.  That was until this morning.

I was checking my email and I saw a news story about Spike Lee apologizing for a retweet.  Curiosity got the best of me and I clicked on the link to read the story.  Needless to say, I was horrified at what I read. Spike Lee retweets the incorrect address of George Zimmerman to his twitter followers. Consequently displacing an elderly couple in their 70′s. OMG! It is my understanding that this couple feared for their physical and emotional safety.  Could you imagine walking to your mailbox and receiving hate mail from strangers, or stepping outside your door and seeing strange packages from people you do not know?  What is the likelihood that this elderly couple in their 70′s tweet and facebook? Literally, you go to bed feeling reasonably safe only to wake up and discover that you are the most hated person in America and not knowing what you did to whomever to upset them.

Here’s the point of this long rant. Adding hatred to perceived hate will not bring  justice, peace, or healing. What was Spike Lee and Rosanne Barr thinking? I really would like to hear them say what positive outcome they hoped for by giving what they thought was George Zimmerman’s address. In my opinion, here we have two celebrities that have a well documented  histories of public scandal and feeling misunderstood.  I’m pretty sure there was a time in their careers that the media and the jury of public opinion have mercilessly crucified them, justified or not.  But rarely have I heard of anyone being persecuted or judged, later tell stories of how much they appreciated that season persecution.

Other than justice, peace, and healing for everyone involved, I pray most for Trayvon Martin’s life to serve as a powerful reminder of why love is so very important. The reason why stereotypes and racial profiling is tolerated and used by us all, (be honest with yourself here) is because of our resistance to step outside of our comfort zones and get to know people that are different from ourselves.  That doesn’t mean that you will like everyone, but you will at least have a working knowledge of the differences that make each person unique.

WAKE UP people! Start loving yourselves so that you are not quick to focus on what you see as a problem in someone else.  Get rid of all people and things that feed negativity into your spirit. Start asking yourself why someone or something has you so angry. Love yourself enough to grow through the experience and remember to be patient with others in their journey.  And never forget how love changed you for the better!

Are you willing to change the not-so-nice parts of your personality?

Future Focused

The Power of Cool

The very moment we take control of our lives and destiny, we set into motion waves of positive energy that have interesting ripple effects.  In our genuine quest to become better, the universe will most assuredly give us necessary opportunities to challenge our thinking.  And if your’re like me, even though I have learned to welcome those challenges, I don’t always like the way they make me feel.

Years ago, a wonderfully wise and beautiful friend taught me the “Power of Cool.”  The Power of Cool is a phrase I  coined to mean remaining cool and calm in negative or uncertain circumstances.  I recently have employed The Power of Cool method and realized two wonderful effects it produced.

First, my unhealthy circumstances forced me to remember why taking control of my life, in this moment, is necessary.  It taught me that my dreams, hopes, and desires are worth any challenge. Each day has given me new respect for myself, increased my self-worth, and given me a stronger desire to accomplish my goals.

Second, the people around me are given beautiful opportunities for change.  When I do not react they way others expect, then at that moment they must adapt. When I remain cool and unemotional, my positive energy sends a powerful message that I am in control and have a wonderful and well deserved advantage.

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, remember “The Power of Cool” and why it is important to your destiny.

“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances.” Thomas Jefferson

How do you control your circumstances?

Future Focused

Rollercoaster of Love

We all have people in or lives that have a difficult time managing their relationships.

Whether they are romantic, friendships, business, or family, we all have ups and

downs.

One of the best remedies for such difficulties is to figure out what role you play.

What are you doing or not doing?  What are you saying or not saying?  Do you

fight fair? Do you like who you become when you are around this person?

Even though love at times can feel like a rollercoaster, you must know when it

is best to get off of the ride.  Loving relationships move you forward in a

healthy and positive direction together.  Getting the answers to these

important questions will put you on the right track to a healthier relationship.

 

How does your love treat you?

Future Focused

Customer Service

What happened to people saying THANK YOU?  I remember a time

when people at least appeared appreciative for your business.  Seems

like lately, I barely receive a thank you.

The words thank you are special for several reasons.  First, they have

the unique ability to give happiness and joy.  Second, they bless you

with the opportunity to receive more.  And lastly, they place you on a

path to accomplish your goals and live your dreams.

When your mind and heart are in a state of gratitude, you are

making a conscious decision to see and accept the goodness that

life is presenting to you. Continuing in this state of gratitude can

usher in an unprecedented abundance of wealth.

 

What are you thankful for?

Future Focused

Hungry Like The Wolf

A wise Cherokee man told his grandson, “My son, there’s a battle between two wolves inside us all.  One is Evil.  It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego.  The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.”  The boy thought about it and asked, “Which wolf wins?”  The wise Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”

Author unknown

Who is winning your battle?

Future Focused

Too Many Mind

Years ago, I believed that only teenagers dealt with peer pressure. To me, it seemed as if adults were free to say and do whatever they liked. Goodness, was I wrong.  It wasn’t until my 30’s that I was able to see just how adults succumb to pressure from their peers.

It was a long journey for me to completely stop what I call the, “Too Many Mind Syndrome.”  The Too Many Mind Syndrome is when an individual is passively being controlled or manipulated by others.  For example, I “mind” what people think about me as a person, I “mind” the image I project to others, or I “mind” if people really like me.  This person spends so much time focusing on other people that they have neglected their true sense of self.  This course of behavior ultimately leads to an unsatisfying life.

When we begin to “mind” and respect our own authentic voice, life becomes fuller and richer.  This does not mean that the opinions of others is meaningless.  However, it does mean that the energy I gave to others I will now actively use to nurture my spirit!

When life is better balanced it most fulfilling!

How many minds are you juggling?

Future Focused

Self Esteem: False and Destructive Concepts of Human Behavior

1. 1.   If you act bad, you are bad.
   2.   Winning is the only thing that counts.
   3.   Losers and low achievers do not counts.
   4.   You should feel guilty for your mistakes, defeats, and failures because you
   could have done better if you tried harder.
   5.   It is wrong for you to love yourself.
   6.   You should be perfect. You should have done better.
   7.   Your worth is determined by how much or how well you do compared to others.
   8.   You know better so you should have done better.
   9.   You can validate your worth and justify your existence only through exceptional
   achievements and approval and acceptance of others.
   10. Outside forces, circumstances and the actions and attitudes of others are
   responsible for your unhappiness and hurting.
   11. Others have the authority and power to insult you and put you down.
   12. Self-indulgence and laziness are evidence of a weak will.
   13. There are strong people and weak people. A strong person is one who can
   accomplish anything through a sheer act or will.
   14. Guilt is essential to motivate you to correct your mistakes and do better in the future.
   15. You should deny your own needs to serve the needs of others.
   16. You must fulfill the demands and expectations of others because you need
   their acceptance and approval in order to be happy.
   17. Your happiness depends on how much money, power, and prestige you manage
   to accumulate.

How will you re-program your thinking?
Future Focused

Laws of Attraction

We attract to ourselves what we hold inside.  Every circumstance,
every person, and every situation that we attract and experience is
based on what is inside of us.  Could you ask for a more magnificent system than this?
Your life is a reflection of what you hold inside of you, and what you hold
inside you is always under your control.
Rhonda Byrne- The Secret

What do you hold inside of you?
Future Focused