Purpose

Live Your Best Life

/ britjames10 / 6 Comments

“Life loves the liver of it. You must live and life will be good to you.” – Dr. Maya Angelou

The year 2017, with all its twists & turns, excitement and surprises, taught me one valuable life lesson, I have absolutely no more time to waste time.

Say this with me: There is no more time to waste time.

When some of my friends and I declared that 2018 would be the year of Reclaiming Our Time, I meant that down in my soul. I made a promise to myself, that for the rest of my life, every thing I do will be intentional. Every single thing, no matter how big or small, will be purposeful and beneficial.

We must remember that life is but a vapor, and that the only thing in life that is constant, is change. If it doesn’t serve you a purpose, let it go. If it isn’t adding any value to your life, cut it. If it isn’t bringing you any peace, and all you’re feeling is negativity, release it. If the people in your life aren’t pushing you forward, they are holding you back, set them free too.

Know this, no matter what season you’re in, no matter how old or young you are, no matter what setbacks you may be experiencing, it is truly possible to reclaim your time, and start living your best life. As long as you’re prepared to receive, you can take full advantage of all life has to offer.

That trip, book it.
That class, take it.
That house, buy it.
That dream, live it.
That book, write it.
That event, plan it.
That project, start it.
That job, apply for it.
That organization, join it.
That vision, make it plain.
Your time, reclaim it.

We have to be willing to take the necessary steps towards the life that we want. And yes, there will be some challenges, however, we must be careful not to let our own complacency, or “fear of the unknown” hinder us and cause us to sit on the sidelines while life is happening. I also want to encourage you, to not give other people the permission to dictate what living your best life is. Sometimes we allow the people in our lives to place us in a box; and most of the times they are unknowingly preventing us from reaching our fullest potential.

Ignore the negative opinions and stay away from the pessimists; surround yourself with positivity and live your BEST life!

January’s Affirmation: I release my attachment to everything that no longer serves me. I refuse to let anything or anyone hold me back!

~B.

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Just Shut-Up and Work!

/ britjames10 / 4 Comments

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” ~Maya Angelou

The beginning of spring has been pretty eventful. So many things have been happening in my life, from working 12.5 hour days, to personal drama, to forgetting important things, I felt as though I had way too much going on; like I was about to explode. It’s like everything was just running together. However because I’m the Queen of multi-tasking, I didn’t understand why I was feeling so overwhelmed because honestly, I’m used to having a lot of things happening at the same time.

For about 3 weeks, I was surrounded by a whole bunch of people and a whole lot of noise, however I felt very defeated and alone. I was frustrated because I couldn’t seem to get enough rest. I was aggravated because I felt like the people in my inner circle didn’t seem to try to understand what was going on with me. I wasn’t eating right, so of course that made me hangry. I had to put out fires because some people who I depended on didn’t come through and insisted on playing the blame game. No one wanted to take responsibility, so I automatically felt like it was my fault. My allergies were acting up, I couldn’t stop sneezing. The 1st Annual Wonder Girl Weekend is drawing near, and not only am I chairing the planning committee, I will also be one of the presenters at the summit. Oh, and let’s not forget that I am right in the middle of planning a wedding celebration, and that is a very detailed process all together.

And because of all that was going on, I found myself feeling like I was suffocating. Like I was drowning, and every time I came up for air, it’s like something else would happen.

And honestly, during those moments. . .every time I tried to pray for myself, or just meditate, it’s like I couldn’t because I would just be whining and complaining. If you know me, then you already know that that’s not how I roll, I don’t like to whine. I don’t like excuses. But that’s all I was offering up to God. “God they don’t understand me.” “God change this situation.” “God, why does it have to be this way?” “God, don’t they know I’m tired!” “God can’t they see that I’m trying.” No praises. No thanksgiving. No grateful heart. I was pretty much rejecting the very tasks that God had placed before me. I didn’t even bother to ask Him for the strength and the wisdom to overcome, I just kept complaining.

And then I heard His voice as clear as ever, “Shut-up and do the work.”

God checked me. He reminded me that this work is exactly what I was created for. This work is helping me to fulfill my purpose on this earth. I was created to give of myself daily. I am a service provider, a change agent. My personal mission is to help change the world. This work is going to ensure that my living won’t be in vain, so how dare I continue to complain? It hit me hard, and I immediately felt the conviction. I repented, and I reminded myself that this is the life that I asked God for.  I told Him a long time ago that I would do all I can, while I can because when I leave this world, I want to be emptied of everything He placed inside of me. I don’t want to leave this earth with dreams and visions and goals and purpose still locked up inside of me. My dash (1986 – ____) will mean something!

I had to immediately change my attitude and my perspective.

Now let me help you: Blaming everyone else will not solve anything. We cannot afford to waste energy worrying about the people in our lives, that we love so dearly, not fully understanding all the moving pieces; we must know and trust that they’ll get it soon enough. We can’t waste time trying to make everyone have the same work ethic as we do; we have to be confident that once they see the train moving that they will come aboard. We can’t have a melt down just because someone doesn’t share the same drive or passion as we do; we just have to continue to lead by example with the hopes that we will influence them in a positive way. We can’t get bent out of shape because people don’t think like us, they don’t have the same mindset; as my mom used to always say, it takes all kinds of people to make up the world. We have to remind ourselves that the Creator of the Universe is working on our behalf. He knows exactly what He’s doing, and who He’s doing it with. I always tell people that life is more like a game of chess and not checkers; and God is the Chess Master. Every move is strategic and deliberate, we just have to do our part, remain patient, and trust the process.

Just a month or so ago, I wrote about being Susie Sunshine and seeing the Light in all situations; and I was tested on that very thing. I am grateful to God for the will to do this type of work; serving His people brings the joy and the fulfillment that I need in my life. There is no amount of money that could ever compare to what I feel on the inside. I thank Him for the gift that He has given me. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to impact the lives of young people. And over the years I have learned that the more grateful I am, the more opportunities He gives me. Every time we show God our appreciation for our gifts and talents, He will always open more doors. That’s how it works, and we must remember that every time we have the urge to complain.

Gratefulness opens doors, complaining closes them.

I’ll admit I had a very weak moment, and we all do; but the way we come back from those weak moments is what’s most important. We have to remember that there are people watching us; people who are literally following our lead. They are waiting to see how we respond and react under the pressure of difficult situations and circumstances; from what we say, to our attitude and body language, even down to our posts on social media. There are people in our paths that each of us are responsible for, and accountable too whether we want to be or not.

I want to encourage you to place your vision in front of you as a constant reminder of your purpose. No matter what comes, no matter how hard it gets, just shut-up and do the work! We would hate to see someone else finish what we’ve started because we refused to see it through; but that’s exactly what will happen, just ask the children of Israel. There’s no way in the world I would’ve wandered in the wilderness for that long only to die in the wilderness and never see the promised land. . . all because I had an attitude and wouldn’t stop whining?! (Numbers 14:14-30) It’s just that serious though. There will always be someone willing and able to replace you; just ask King Saul (1 Samuel 16:1-23.) Remember, the show must go on.

Hold on to your assignment, and know that everything (the good, the bad, the ugly) is working together for your good. Keep your eyes fixed on the destiny you must fulfill.

~B.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

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The Next Big Thing

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One evening, I was talking to my mentee and she asked me a question about Palm Sunday. I gave her the whole story about the “Triumphal Entry” and how everyone was so excited to see Jesus coming into town, so they took Palm branches and they began waving them as they worshipped Him shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David” but within just a few days, their Hosannas would change to cries of “Crucify Him.” Those who glorified Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him.

Wait. “Those who glorified Him as a Hero would soon reject and abandon Him.” Wow, He was crucified by the same people who were just praising Him.

So then I started to think on that, and I applied it to today’s time..

In certain situations, it is usually the people who aren’t the closest to us that usually began to pat us on the back first. In some cases, it is usually the strangers that immediately start to support us, and root for our success, while secretly the people who claim to be in our corner, the people who KNOW us are wishing for our downfall. 

Think about Jesus and how he rode in at the beginning of the week (Matthew 21) and everybody was singing His praises “Go Jesus, Go Jesus, GO;” however by the end of the week (Matthew 27) not only were those same people saying “crucify Him,” but one of his disciples, betrayed Him and another one of His closest disciples turned his back on Him by denying Him. I can only imagine what He must have felt like during the moment when He was at His lowest. The people who He called friend were nowhere to be found. Isn’t it funny how people just switch up on you like that? Ok, maybe it’s not funny … but I’ve always wondered how and why as people, we’re able to do that with such ease. That is the main reason why we can’t get so caught up in the praises of others that we start living off of them, because if people would turn their backs and betray Jesus, the Savior of the world, imagine what they would do to us. We have to be careful because when those praises stop, and believe me they will, it will have a negative impact on us. I read a quote that said: “If you live off a man’s compliments, you’ll die from his criticism.”

Switching gears ..2015..

We live in a time where people tend to flock to whatever is popular, whatever is poppin, and whoever is riding into town in the candy apple red Ferrari, they want to associate themselves with the next big thing. It’s kind of like a kid at Christmas time, they receive these expensive, shining new toys, and they will play with them for a few days, but as soon as the new year rolls around, and the newness wears off they are usually no longer interested in the toys that they just received; they hear people at school talking about the new (NEW) toys, so they immediately start to want something else. I’m here to tell you, people are just like that. We like to watch the new television shows, and shop at the new stores, and try the new products and dine at the new restaurants, and attend the new churches with the new Pastors, but after a while when the momentum dies down, we tend to be on the lookout for what’s coming next.

That is why we have to be sure that people are not putting us so high up on a pedestal that they start to worship us like we are a god when they think we are “the next big thing.” Because not only is allowing others to “worship” you a very dangerous place to be put in, but people will discard you once the newness wears off. We must place God in the front of us because He is the one that opened the door and made the opportunity possible. Remain humble and always point people to God; instruct them to look up. I know that in the moment, the extra love and the palm branches may really boost the ego and make you feel all good on the inside; however we must be mindful of our purpose and our assignment. We must remember to be thankful to the one that equipped us with our gifts and talents, and remind others to do the same. Because what are you going to do when you stop hearing all of those, “good jobs” and “way to go’s” or when those pats on the back don’t come as often? What are you going to do when people start criticizing you or questioning you? What are you going to do when your family and your close friends become skeptical and don’t sing your praises to others? Is that going to slow you down? Are you going to allow discouragement to creep in? Are you going to stop working towards your destiny? Are you going to just forget your purpose? Are you going to abort your mission? Or are you going to encourage yourself, pat your own self on the back and keep it moving.

Believe me; I know it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement of people giving you a round of applause, however just remember that it is just as easy to get bummed out and knocked off course when the people around you take a break. It’s easy to get discouraged when all of the noise dies down, and people move on to the next hot trend. That is why we must be Purpose Driven and not People Driven.

For it is much better to be brought down by people, and exalted by God; than it is for God to knock you down like Humpty Dumpty and people try and try to put you back together again.

I truly believe that those times of silence are God ordained. I believe He orchestrates those moments for us to remain humble and focused on the task at hand. He doesn’t want us fully relying on others because He is the Source. He is the one that we should be striving to please, not people. I feel that in those instances God is trying to teach us something. I believe He is testing us to see if the crowd goes away will we still do His will. When people stop posting about us on social media, will we still use our gifts and talents to do what’s right. When our support system breaks down, and our friends get to busy to encourage us, will we find a way to continue to move forward. Just as Jesus had to go through the highs and lows of being praised and then being rejected in order to complete His assignment, we must be prepared to do the same thing. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Jesus, and I’m sure it was difficult for Him to accept that some of the people He thought had His back would be the very ones to turn their backs on Him; however He knew that He had a greater task at hand. He knew His purpose and what He had to do in order to fulfill it.

We must remember, people will change like the wind however God is consistent; He will never fail us. He wants the very best for His children. Let us not get caught up in the hype because remember, the yays can become nays in the matter of a few chapters, or should I say a few days. (Matthew ch. 21 & 27)

Yes, I know it feels good, and honestly, motivation and encouragement can be helpful to us; so please be sure to tell people Thank You and let them know you appreciate them for the nice compliments and gestures. However let’s be sure to honor the Gift Giver and encourage others to do the same. Let us continue to talk to Him, and build ourselves up with His word. Just as we work on our physical bodies by eating right and going to the gym to exercise, we must continue to work on our inner-selves by reading the Word, communicating with Him, seeking Him for direction, and surrounding ourselves with honest people who want what’s best for us.

Be sure to work for a cause, and not for the applause.

I want to encourage you to find your purpose and commit to working towards it whether you have a crowd of people to cheer you on or not. Don’t concern yourself with how fast others are running their race: Allow God to set your pace, so that when the time comes He can place you on a platform for the world to see; let Him promote you. Don’t allow doubt or negativity to bring you down, and get you off focus: Allow Him to prepare a table before you in the presence of your naysayers; let Him elevate you. Don’t get so caught up in the “likes” on social media: Allow God to go before you and make your paths straight, so that you will be ready to walk in the open doors that will bring you before important people in the “Real World.” Be steadfast, and allow Him to make you The Next Big Thing. (Luke 14:11 AMP)

~B.

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6)

 

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