I'm Back!

I'm back! Yes! Took a sabbatical to make some transitional moves in my life. What a journey it has been. I have learned so much and over the next several blogs, there will be an outpouring of the things I have learned along the way to share with you! But right now...

Let's talk about how to trim the fat! No, not the physical weight you carry. There is other weight in your life you need to trim. This is a different type of well-being. We all carry certain things in our lives whether it is thoughts, emotions, people, dreams, goals, and more. The key is to make it healthy weight. It is fine to have people in your life, just make sure they are positive. Why? People are a great piece of the weight we carry. We are around people almost all day, every day. Negative people will drain you. They absorb too much of your time, energy, and mental capacity.

Here are the issue with those three categories. You can never recover your time once it is gone. Energy, once it is released is also gone. You may create new energy, but what you exhausted is gone forever. Mental capacity is stored through our five senses. Once something enters your mid, it is there for ever. Therefore, let negative people go from your life. There are those people we cannot cut completely out of our lives with their negativity. The best way to handle this is to allow them to be who they are while protecting yourself from their negativity. How? Limit the interaction to ways you can handle and then move on in order to salvage the relationship. Meanwhile, you limit and then eliminate them from your inner circle so you can have peace of mind.

People say opposites attract. It is also said, negative and positive people attract each other. This would be true if we were magnets. However, we are not. We vibrate on frequency levels. If someone is not on our frequency, the waves they emit will not coincide with yours and this will push you two away from each other. You don't have to respond to your haters! They are not on your frequency anyway!When frequencies contrast, they do not go well together and push in the opposite direction, unlike magnets.

We are drawn to people by certain characteristics we like. However, they may have several areas in their life we do not like. If the things we like are powerful, it will outweigh those characteristics in them that are contrary. Be mindful of this because you can find yourself taking on more emotional distress than happiness. The key is, how important is your happiness? What are you willing to sacrifice for your peace of mind? That decision is yours. Make it wise.

I've missed doing these blogs. I look forward to reconnecting and sharing with you my life lessons. Until next time... be magnificent!

Why Are You Holding on to It?

Every year, regardless of where you are located, there is always some form of climatic change. Nature just seems to be on a systematic clock that in order to transition and evolve into something different, it must embrace it. Every year, new life is developed and older ways are passed. The trees change colors and then eventually, nature takes course and the trees must let the leaves go. The tree will sit barren for months until new buds grow.

Now look at your life. Do a full analysis of each commodity that is of importance to you. All of your values, activities, people, career, education, and anything else you do in your life. What dead weight are you lugging around? What are you holding on to that is of no use anymore. Think of the leaves in the fall. They look beautiful at first as the colors change. But, they're dying. The look nice on the outside but on the inside they are whithering away. Soon they will all become brown.

Things in your life may look good on the outside but on the inside they are rotting. Relationships have gone bad. You smile, love, laugh, and then go to bed in tears. You sit and wonder why are things like this? How come you can smile one minute but yet you're hurting to your core. Your career is stagnant. You go to work and you give your all daily. Yet, you feel unappreciated, disavowed, and stonewalled. You adorn yourself in decent clothes. You keep yourself well groomed and manicured. Yet, your health is declining beneath you because your body just can't process foods like you used to when you were younger. A flight of stairs has you out of breath.

It can easily feel like life around you is crumbling. On the outside, the facade looks beautiful, but the inside is deteriorating day-by-day. How do you fix this? How do you stop carrying this load? Well guess what? It's the season of change. This is the season of transformation. You have to let go. Let go of the negatives that have decayed your life. Just as the trees let go of the leaves, you need to let go of the careers, the family, the friends, the relationships, the bad foods, the unhealthy lifestyle, and the activities that do not add value to your life. If you fail to let go of what is decaying, you will be destroyed from the inside to the outside.

How do you let go, especially if it's family? Sometimes letting go is not a physical disconnection. I encourage you to work on your marriages and relationships with your kids, parents, siblings, etc. Are their friends that treat you better than some family members? Yes. But at the end of the day, they're still family. So, how do you cutoff family? Some cases, letting go is not physically. It's emotionally. You have to allow yourself to emotionally fall like a leaf. Does that mean you no longer love or care about that person? No it doesn't. You are going through a season. The tree is still a tree even in the winter time. It will produce leaves again for hundreds of years. Your companion is still your companion, but the emotions have fallen off for a season. Create a new season. You both have to be on board with your new season. Process why things have fallen off in your "winter" and then establish how the "spring" will become.

What about your career or other areas. You have to do the same thing, detach and then process over the winter season of that activity. Then decide how the spring will be. What will you make it look like? For example, at the house you may decide to plant a new flower bed, make a garden, redo the landscape, or some other home improvement project. Well, I challenge you to take on a Life Improvement Project and begin to see how to make your life flow with new life.

You need to look at everything. Are you happy? Why not? What makes you happy? Plant the seeds of those things to make you happy. It's about you and that's ok. You have made life about other people. Unhappy people cannot make others happy. You don't have it in you. So, make yourself happy first and others around you will be happy by you. Dead plants do not make you smile, lively colorful ones do. Make a lively colorful YOU and everyone will enjoy it. Take advantage of this off season to spring up bold and beautiful as the season changes in your life!

It's time to plant new seeds and bring about blossoms of new harvests in your life!

Contact me for more info. I thank you for sharing this blog!

I Had a Conversation with Myself

Words are powerful things. There is a physical substance embodied within the seeds of our words. Words can destroy a person, start a war, display love, provide praise. How we use those words make the difference in our lives. Some people use words to talk them right out of a dream or goal they truly desire.

As we go through our lives, there are plenty of people speaking negatively about us. Everyone is a critic. We spend more time on others than we do for ourselves. Incorporate social media and we can easily grow the number of critics exponentially. Strangers will even chime in to render their opinions on things when they don't even know you!

But forget everyone else. What do you say when you talk to yourself! I hear people say all of the time, "I'm my biggest critic!" Really? You are? I beg to differ. I think the masses of people mounted against you are your biggest critics. I have never heard anyone say, "I'm my biggest cheerleader!" I'm my number one fan!" Now, not only is everyone else a critic in your life, the remaining person you had to rely on for positivity is also your biggest critic, YOU!

What do you say when you talk to yourself? Do you daily remind yourself what you want to be when you grow up? Do you praise yourself for being positive? Do you put stickers on a calendar everytime you do a task correctly? Do we say wonderful things about ourselves like, "You are beutiful." "You are such a wonderful person." "I love my hair just lie this." Great job today at work!" "I'm glad I was very productive today. I got a lot done! Great job!" No, we don't!

But I bet you that you remind yourself of every blemish, roll, wrinkle, mistake, foolishness, and failure. Learn to speak positive words into your life. You have the ability in you to do great things. You are not a mistake. You are not a failure. You are not a loser. Therefore, do not even focus on those things. Why focus on something you know you are not. You're not trying to fail. No one wakes up and says, "Well, let me go be a loser today!"

Focus on where you are going and what you want to be, not where you don't want to be. You can spend so much time trying NOT to be something that you end up becoming that very thing. Why? Because your thoughts of not being something magnetized you right to it. When you expand your way of thinking, you can expand your vision. When you expand your vision, you must expand your vocabulary . When you expand your vocabulary you have the ability to speak power into your life. Its not about NOT failing, it's about winning! It's not about NOT making it. It's about achiving it! It's not about NOT having a degree, it's about getting it! Change your words! Empower yourself with your self-talk! Now, what are you going to say when you talk to yourself?

Self-Discovery Pt. 5 (The Finale)

The past week, I have taken my personal inventory of what we have started along this journey. Although this is the end of this article, it will not be the end of the journey. There is only so much I can review in this blog forum with you. I have so much more I want to share with you regarding the journey you are taking to find yourself. My hope is that this will get you started along the way. We have reached the final two stages that will be discussed in this article. We will review all of the stages at the end.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

We do not go through life alone. You may feel alone at times, but we are not truly alone. Someone is on the other end doing something for us. It could be the mailman delivering mail, the service workers for the utility company doing their jobs so we have power and heat. Maybe it is the doctor and nurse studying hard to provide you great medical care. There are police out there patrolling that keep the other person driving at the speed limit to avoid an accident with you. It's the school teacher spending money out of their personal budget to bring in supplies to help you have a great education. It's the boss on the job teaching you how to be successful in the workplace. Maybe it's the companion that made you a meal while you were sick or the child that keeps a smile on your face when you are upset.

Many people play a role in our lives and sometimes we think we are so alone, but we are not by ourselves. We are surrounded by others supporting us. Some people are direct support while others are indirect. In addition to those two groups of individuals, you also have the most important support system, YOU! You are the most important person to your success. Without believing in yourself and trusting, taking risks, working diligently then you would never make it.

We must recognize others in our lives supporting us. Now, if you do not have people in your primary circle of concern, you need to find them. This is important. You do not want to have "yes-man" type of people. You need contrast. You need people who will disagree with you, not to be negative, but that will say "No, that's not a good idea and here's why." They will also be people that will provide you with new perspectives. Do not think all of the answers are in your head. No one person knows everything. The moment you think you have all of the answers is the moment failure begins. Have people you can seek counsel, lend an ear, and provide the hindsight you need. Surround yourself with people which are headed in the same direction or already where you want to be.

You will have to distance yourself from people who do not add value to your life. Unfortunately, some of the will be close friends and even family. If there is no value being added to your life through them, distance yourself. In addition, anything in your life that is not supporting your journey, cut it off and remove it from your life. This will be difficult because at times, they will be the things you hold dear or that provide you with comfort.

WHY

Finally, what is your why? This could mean so many things, being such an open-ended question. The focus I want you to hone in on is what is driving you? What is your purpose? Why do you want it? In order to know deeply who you are is to search deep within your soul and find your why! Without having a why, you will just lay there in bed drowning in sorrows. Your why gets you out of the bed! Without having a why, you will suffer with depression. Your why motivates you and keeps you focused and inspired. You cannot be motivated and depressed at the same time. It is impossible. That would be like salt and fresh water coming out of the same spigot. Either you are motivated because of your why or you are depressed because of the lack thereof.

How do you discover your why? Ask yourself why you are doing something. Work. School. Business. Church. Mentoring. Why do you think you are doing those things? Now, remove anything tangible like people, money, degree, etc because tangible reasons can fade away. Your kids will get older, then what? You might make plenty of money, then what? You can obtain the degree, then what?

Now, ask yourself again, Why?? The only thing left should be an intangible like character, divine calling, a purpose, or added intangible value to your life. If you have no intangible reason, then sorry, but I question why you are doing it too. If what you are doing has no WHY, stop doing it! Immediately! Just, stop it now! You are doing something that has no purpose, no reason, value. You need at least one of those three to establish a why.

For example, I used to workout then stop, then workout, and stop again. It was cyclical. So, I decided to put some races and other activities on my calendar throughout the year. I figured, if I have something I am working towards, that will keep me motivated. Guess what, it worked. I had a why. It was due to preparing for a race. Well, the following year, I did not sign up for any races. Guess what, I did not workout all year! Your why, cannot be a tangible. It must be intangible. Your why must be for a greater innate purpose that wakes you up and gets you out of the bed every morning.

Do a deeper soul searching to discover your why, It must be as vital as the air you breathe.

In summary, the following stages of this article series are:

1. Defining values

2. Desired outcomes

4. Identification of emotions

5. Honing in on behavior

6. Alignment behaviors with your vision

7. Having a clear picture of your vision

8. Areas of Importance

9. Support System

10. Why

I hope this has helped you. Remember, your journey is just beginning. Please go back and read the series again. Please share this blog series with your friends, family, loved ones, and colleagues. I look forward to hearing your success stories. Leave your testimonial in the comments or send me an email. Feel free to contact me for a more in depth coaching session.

Now, find yourself before you lose yourself!

Self-Discovery Pt. 4

By now, you should have read and completed the tasks assigned to you from Parts 1-3 of this blog series. If you have not read them or completed your asignments, stop here so you can catch up and do the previous assignments.

In the previous parts of this article, you have now accomplished seven steps in this process. We will now discuss another topic.

AREAS of IMPORTANCE

There are those days when you feel like you will never achieve your goals. You have so many circles of life that our going around it could be difficult to monitor them all. Imagine, if you will, the logo for the Olympics. As you think of the rings you will notice some of them overlap. This is the same in life. Some areas of your life overlap into other areas. Due to the overlap, it can become overwhelming if not properly managed.

The next task helps you now discover areas of your life that are important to you. This is absolutely individualized. What may be important to you is not important to others. The best part is, selfishness for this project is approved! This is strictly about you and what you feel are important areas in your life.

It could be social, family, relationship, finances, work, business, school, spirituality, working out, physical activities, travel, hobbies, or any number of things. Maybe you are a person that likes to read, You may be a musician or singer. You may like to make quilts. At this point your next assignment is to make a list of your areas of importance. However many items there are, identify it all.

We are coming to the final aspects and will bring this all together over the next few articles. It may not make sense now, but stay tuned and keep doing the work. You will see soon enough.

Self-Discovery Pt. 3

Before we dive into today's article, if you have not read the previous two articles, I would like to invite your attention to the following links:

1. http://hour22.blogspot.com/2017/01/self-discovery-pt1.html
2. http://hour22.blogspot.com/2017/01/self-discovery-pt-2.html

If you have not read these two articles or need a refresher of what was discussed, please read them prior to proceeding. This way, you will know some brief references I will make going forward. Thank you in advance.

Now, we have come to the next checkpoint. You probably realize now, this is not an overnight get it done quick scheme. There is a foundational process to changing your life. I watched a video today on Facebook and a lady who wanted to transform her life in one area. As she went on here journey, I don't think most people realized, not only did she change one area of her life as she desired, but it transformed her exponentially in other ways. That is exactly what transformation will do to you. You will focus on one area, like fitness. Suddenly, you will begin to feel higher self-esteem. The esteem was a beneficiary of the fitness goals.

Think of it this way: Your life is made of systems. You have a nervous system, digestive system, skeletal system, circulatory system, and respiratory system. I'm sure there are others. All of my science experts can fill in the rest. These systems, in some way, work together in their functionality and need each other in order to operate. If one system fails, it can impact the others. It's the same with you as you transform your life. One failure or success can impact other areas of your life.

Your transformation must have proper alignment and a clear picture of what you are trying to achieve.

ALIGNMENT

In the Marine Corps marksmanship they would teach us about having sight alignment and sight picture. Sight alignment is aligning the rear sight with the front sight and the target. Much like the figure below (courtesy of Calguns.net), are you aiming high, low, or just right?

This is what your life should be. Your goals, plans, and desires should all be in alignment. They shouldn't be too far out of reach, too easy to achieve, but just enough of a challenge to stretch yet attain. For those of you that are spiritually minded, you should also be in alignment with God's will for your life. If you are out of God's will for you, do not expect to achieve your blessings. The Bible says we ask and have not because we ask out of His will for our lives. I don't care how focused you are, how well planned you are, or how strong your desires may be; if you are not fully aligned you will not achieve your goals.

Now, the good news is, you can make sure you have your ducks in a row. Take the time to research your goals. Are they SMART? Meaning, are they:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

What about your plans? Have you outline each task? Have you identified people you will have to contact to get information from them? Is there a monetary investment that must be made. Do you have the money? Do you have the knowledge? Do you need to ask anyone about things you need? How bad do you really want to achieve these goals? Are you ready to make a sacrifice? Some areas you may have to cut some things or people off from being involved with in order to stay focused. You may have to give up activities as well. Are you really willing?

CLEAR PICTURE

The next thing in marksmanship is sight picture. Sight picture is what you see when you look through the sights. You must have a clear picture after you have aligned your sights. In another example, think of buying a wall unit or shelf. When you look at the instructions, what is on the front page? A clear picture of what the item is supposed to look like when you are done. This way you begin with the end in mind, according to the Late Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

You have to see where you are going first. There's a saying, "Be one before you are one." You have to see yourself in the job, house, care, weight, etc. See yourself within your vision. See yourself sitting at that desk, in that chair, in that office, in that building, and for that company! If you can see it, you can be it! Your inner-being must be able to connect with where you are trying to go. Like in science fiction movies, to move your physical man to the other dimension, you must first set the destination and see it. Your mind will take you to where you are going. Your thoughts must already be there before your physical being can get there.

If you find yourself falling constantly, off your timeline, or even off track ask yourself two questions:

1. Am I aligned right?
2. Is my mental picture clear?

Know your vision and seek after it daily. Align your life and make the right choices to position yourself right. Write your vision and make it plain upon the tablets of your heart. But you must physically write your vision. Do you have a vision board? Cut out pictures of what you want and place them in front of you! Sounds silly? No. Silly is throwing darts at a wall instead of a dart board. You cannot hit a target you cannot see.

Your next homework assignment is to gather pictures of things you want for your life or a symbol of it to represent the goal and create a collage vision board. Do not overlap the pictures. Organize it neatly and in rows. Remember you must have a clear sight picture of your end game.

Stay tuned for the next article.

Self-Discovery Pt. 2

Well my friends, we have come to the next checkpoint on our journey. In Part 1 of this article we discussed steps you need to take in order to begin this quest. I will not reiterate much from the previous article. Please read Part 1, if you haven't already because this will build in stages. This is a progressive article and therefore you will not be able to jump in at any point. You can find the first article here: http://hour22.blogspot.com/2017/01/self-discovery-pt1.html.

I hope you have made your lists by now. I will not quiz you on what you placed on your list. It's for you to kow who you are and recognize yourself. This is about "self-discovery" therefore, I do not want you to be concerned with the perspectives of other people. This is not "who do men say that I am?" This is more about "who do YOU say you are?" Now that you have defined yourself and stated where you want to be, how did you get here?

This is the only time we will back-track. I do not want to spend time talking about the past which cannot be changed. You need to focus on your future. So, quickly let's take a look back.

IDENTIFICATION

Over the past, let's say, three years what type of emotions have you displayed? Have you been in any deep arguments? Who were they with and why did they occur? Did you help anyone during the last three years without being asked? How has your financial wellness been over the last three years? Everyone has bills to pay for something but, were you understanding in your payments that you have to exchange money for services anyway or were you frustrated you had to pay them? How have things been at work? What's the atmosphere like? How are your bosses and coworkers? If you have a business, how is the business doing? What about your health? Are you content with your weight? Nutrition? Medical? Are you in a relationship? How has that been going the past three years? Kids? Are you a student? How are your grades?

Why am I asking these questions? These are some of the areas that are external which lead to internal stress or happiness. Rarely do you find people that look within themselves to find joy. Rarely do you find people who are self-aware. Do you know your triggers for negative and positive emotions in your life? What makes you happy? Payday? Your kid's concert? Seeing that you lost weight? Seeing the smile on someone's face that you helped? What makes you angry or stressed? Having more month than money? Business not succeeding as expected? Health fading? Be honest. Do you have a time clock in your head when you wanted to be married, have kids, have a business, have a degree, reach a goal and it hasn't happened yet?

Friends, that will lead you right to where you are today. These are the tough questions we must ask ourselves. Be real with yourself. Tears may run down your eyes as you sit and think, "Wow, I REALLY haven't done the things I said I would do." It can lead to another state of being, depression. Then low self-esteem and self-image creep into your mind. Listen, it's okay. No, really! It's ok now. Why? Because, now you see it when you didn't see it prior.

HONING

That's enough about the past. Dry your eyes. Set your Life's GPS to where we are going now!

Take out your list of defining words from Part 1 of this article. Now, let's look over your homework assignment. We need to hone in on the adjectives used to describe yourself. I want you to circle the positive adjectives. Then, take the negative ones that remain and write next to it the antonym of that adjective. For example, if you put "mean" write "kind" next to it, and so on down the list of negatives. Why are we doing this? I do not want to focus on how to overcome the negative adjectives. Whatever you focus on that's where your energy goes. So, trying NOT to be something will in turn cause you to actually become that very thing.

Growing up, my late father used to be very argumentative with my mom, or anyone else in the room, especially if he had been drinking. He also didn't spend a lot of quality time with me and my siblings. I recall always wanting my dad to be at special events but would look in the crowd and he wasn't there. I fouhgt so hard as an adult to not be that way. I remember always saying, I will never be verbally abusive to people. I will always make sure I am there for my kids. Guess what, I became, and still struggle with being argumentative at times. However, I was always there for my kids, until... I missed one of my daughter's games where she was cheering. I was so distraught. But then I missed another, and another, then the other kids' performances. I looked back at pictures of them and I wasn't in them. Reality slapped me in the face! I was trying so hard not to be like my dad in that way that I was slowly becoming two of the characteristics I swore not to become.  Now, I focus on being myself, rather than NOT being someone else.

That's what I want you to do. Hone in on the positive traits about yourself. Cancel out the negative traits with positive ones. I am not going to have you try NOT to be negative Ned or Nancy. I am going to have you model positive Paul or Paula. Think about those traits and when you displayed them. Think about how you feel when you use those qualities. For example, Think about a time you were running late. For some, that's daily! Why? Why can you be on time sometimes, but not all the time? If your adjective was tardy, change it to timely. Now, in order to become timely, you have to look at how you schedule your day. Don't cram so many things in before you have to leave. Take into account traffic lights, accidents, and school buses. Ever leave on time for work and get stuck behind a school bus? Worst thing ever! You see it turn in front of you and in slow motion you're like "Noooooooo!!!!" Well guess what, the bus is on a schedule. Next time leave earlier or go another way. Maybe you need to go to bed earlier to give yourself more time in the morning to get prepared. Get things ready at night. Prep the kids, if applicable, what the routine will be in the morning. Know alternative routes and be prepared for traffic issues out of your control. Problem solved.

Now, go through each one of your positives and do the same thing we just did. Identify the steps you take to become that characteristic. What are the behaviors associted with that description. If you say you're caring, what behaviors have you displayed that equate to a caring you? Your list should now show "Trait (or Adjective)" on one side and the next column "Behaviors" that correspond with that adjective.

Your next assignment will be to complete this list of behaviors all the way through your list of positive adjectives, including the ones you replaced the negatives.

Part 3 of this journey will continue in the next article. Looking forward to continuing this path with you! Get your homework done!

Questions or comments, please leave them below.

Self-Discovery Pt.1

Friends, today I want to begin a journey with you. I'm sure given the title of this article wanting to join together seems like an oxy-moron. However, the journey of self-discovery can be difficult to do when completely alone. We need someone from time to time for at least a few steps along the way. The moment you feel you have all of the answers, that is the moment you will begin to fail. Therefore, let's take this journey of self-discovery together.

I would like to challenge you! Consider it an actual dare. The very first thing you have to do is sacrfice some of your time. This will be one of the hardest parts of this journey. Stop! Pick a day this week to literally clear your calendar of events. Take some time away from the kids and even your significant other. This is all about you! No excuses. This journey cannot even begin if you fail to do this very important step. Do this alone in a quiet space.

WRITE YOUR DEFINITION

Define yourself. Who are you? Right now in this moment. Don't think about your future yet. Don't think about your past. This is about your present. Who exactly are you? If I were to look you up in the dictionary, what adjectives would you use to describe yourself to someone else? You must be honest. There is no one to lie to but yourself. Are you honest? Fair? Angry? Caring? Thoughtful? Argumentative? Assertive? Creative? Manipulator? Egotistical? Honestly. Who are you. Draft up your list of adjectives you think about yourself both positive and negative.

Why are we doing this exercise? You cannot get to where you are going until you first know where you are. Think of this journey as a GPS of life. The first thing the GPS requests is your current location. The GPS doesn't care how you got there. It only wants to first know where you are. Then, it routes you to your destination the best way possible, even if it saves you only one minute. We are going to map out your destination for your life.

But first, where the heck are you?

Like I have told my adult kids, "If you end up somewhere you're not supposed to be, call me. I will not fuss you out about how you got there (yet). I want to get you to the next place that is safe." No matter the situation that lead you to be who you are, the question is how do we get you from there? We can evaluate how you got there later.

WRITE YOUR DESIRED OUTCOMES

I ask people sometimes, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" No age discrimination. Most people smile at first when they hear that question. I told one of my adult daughters "Don't be so frustrated with the fact you don't know what college you want to attend or what you want to major in right now. You're 18 years old. Your life will evolve multiple times as you get older." I went to college for music at first and then joined the Marine Corps. I got off active duty and worked in corrections and then on to risk management where I eventually started my own businesses. I had no idea my life would take this path when I was a 10 year old. To be honest, I had no idea it would change any of the times I evolved.

As I told my daughter, we no longer live in the industrial age where my parents went to work for General Motors and General Electric for 30 plus years and then retired. Those days are gone. Life changes and sometimes frequently. So, five years from now, this list of desires may change for you. You will have to be ok with that. I am not an evolutionist however, I do believe in the personal and professional evolution of man. You have to roll with life. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Therefore, keep moving. No matter how many times you fall along the journey, get back up each time!

I know you may feel this will be tough. I know you may feel stuck right now. This will not be a quick fix. This is a journey, not a walk to the corner store. It takes a split second to get stuck in mud, a ditch, or in snow... but then takes forever to get out of it! Well, life is the same way. You looked at your life and was like "WOW! I'm stuck! How did this happen? It was a blur!" Well guess what, it's going to take longer to get out of the situation that took a moment for you to get into anyway. Therefore, I need you to...no, no... YOU need to commit yourself to this journey!

Now, this list of desired outcomes... what do you want to be when you grow up? Write it all down. Not just in your career but in your personal life too.

This is your homework assignment.

Go start your list and stay tuned for Part 2 of this article!

Transform from the Old You

You made it!

The year is complete. What have you learned about yourself? What will be your goals for the new year? Set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Challenge yourself. Do the unfathomable! Let go of the bad. It's over. Refresh your mind and heart now. Get out a pen and paper. Write it all down.

What's it going to be?

How are you going to do it?

Who do you need with you?

When is it going to happen?

Where will you have to go?

Cost?

Investment?

Sacrifice?

Research?

Materials?

What are you spending your time doing? Is it time spent towards achieving your goals? Spend less time on trivial matters and more time grinding this year.

Journal daily. Check in weekly. Measure monthly. Evaluate quarterly.

This is not the end. It may be a chapter, a page, a paragraph BUT, it is not the book! Your story is not done! Keep going! Keep pushing! Keep believing!

It's not over. This is just the beginning!

Raise your arms. Lean your head back. Embrace the blessings that are about to rain on your life! Feel the accomplishments pouring down on you! Pray without ceasing. Keep God first. It's the year of YOU!

You don't have time for negativity, seriously you don't! You may have to tell some people that so they understand. Spend no time complaining. Don't dwell on the negatives. Quickly adjust and move forward. Let go of every single weight holding you back! 

You have to be ok with spending time alone to refresh weekly. This is about you! No one else. Don't lose yourself. It's a horrible place to be when you, not only, don't know WHERE you are in life but also WHO you are!

Take risks. I dare you to write your goals down. I dare you to make a plan! I dare you to cut off people who do not add value to your life. They will look around months later and realize you are not the same. The way you look, feel, and strive for greatness. You don't have to be afraid, take the risk!

Eliminate fear and doubt. 

You will cry this year. You will also laugh. Make the good days outweigh the bad days! End every day with a smile, even if you're not feeling it. Smile anyway!

Come on! "YOU GOT THIS!"

Get up! Start writing it down!

Time to make it happen.

Time to get moving.

Time to be transformed!

Show them how great you are! Most importantly, show yourself!

This is going to test your will!

None of that Abracadabra! Hocus-pocus! Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo! Look! You're changed!

Wait! "Not so fast my friend!"This is not magic. This transformation will be a grind!

There are no magic beans. No magic wand! No fairy godmother. No magic lamp.

Transformation doesn't happen by flipping the page on the calendar. Guess what? Transformation doesn't start just because you went to the gym either. That's right. It took years to get where you are. It will take time to transform to newness of life! You must first have a thought. Then write those thoughts into a clear-cut plan. Once your plan is completely written down, then begin to act upon your plan by DOING it. You must commit yourself to this change for the longterm. 

Your before and after pictures have fine print written in between them that says, "GRIND!"

Thinking about your plans to achieve your goals and writing your plans down, are a very important parts of your ability to achieve success. Your written plan puts meat on the bones (or fruit on the seed, for my vegan friends) of your destiny! Your plan sustains you! Without a plan, you will end up quitting. Leave no doubt. Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Transformation is a process.

Identify your purpose. What's your "Why?" Write down your "why" at the beginning of your plan. Your "why" has to excite you every day! It's the reason you get up daily. 

Guess what? Your job is not your why! Your job is a vehicle to get you to your why. Your job is the resource of finances, people of different backgrounds to learn from, and to grow. 

I've always said, "I'm doing this for my kids." My kids are not my why. They are a part of my plan. They are my motivation. They are beneficiaries of my grind. But my "why" is for me. Your "why" is for YOU! What's your purpose? What is God's purpose FOR you? Find your why and write it down in your plan. THEN go to work on your plan.

The greatness in you will flourish! Let the blessings rain on your life!

It's now time for transformation! It's time for greatness. It's time to grind! 

Contact me for more info on how to develop your plan to reach your goals. You're not in this alone. First things first... write down your brainstormed ideas and lets go from there. 

Stop reading this and start working towards your destiny. Leave your questions and comments below. Chat soon!