Merry Christmas to All!!

As many of us are spending time with families, eating and drinking and opening presents, I just wanted to take a moment and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. May you celebrate His birth today, celebrate each other today and rejoice for the 2010 that is on its way. I declare blessings, prosperity, peace and joy over your life in 2010. May His plan, purpose and destiny for your lives be clear and may you walk boldly in it, in Jesus name. May you also have such a positive attitude that it is contagious and that you have the strength to overcome obstacles even if the odds are against you!

As you celebrate, please take a moment today and thank God for what you do have and pray for the homeless, the people who may not have anything to eat today, those who may not have family to celebrate with today, those in mental institutions, those in prisons, our military members serving here and abroad and everyone in our government. In some capacity this season, we can be a blessing through our prayers and thoughts.

Finally, may your 2010 be filled with Deuteronomy 28 blessings as you repeat this prayer:

“I am blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed coming in, and blessed going out, my laying down and my rising up. I am blessed in the basket and blessed in my bank accounts, investments, health, and relationships; they flourish. The blessings of the Lord overtake me in all areas of my life and I receive them.” (christianword.org)

Hugs to all. I truly appreciate everyone who has read my blog, who follow me on Twitter and Facebook, and those who subscribe to my daily words of inspiration…..Thank you for teaching me, for enlightening me, for being friends and for making me laugh. You are truly treasures and I am humbled to be in your spheres!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2 Roadblocks to Success!!

I am real and I love people who are real. I empower people to succeed but I do so without fluff and I do so with integrity and honesty. If I am unable to feel what you feel or at least want to do my best for you then I am not being an effective coach. As a result, my thoughts and methods may not be popular opinion. With that said, I truly believe that the following 2 roadblocks can deter you as you start the journey to a purposeful life.

1. Surrounding yourself with “Yes” people

Recently, I watched an episode of the show “I Want to Work for Diddy 2”…This show features several contestants who go through several challenges to become P.Diddy’s assistant. As a challenge they had to each tell him whether they like his choice of wardrobe for a particular event. His big issue was that he did not want “yes” people. These are people who say what they think you want to hear and not what you should hear. They all became “yes” people and told him that wearing a tie-dyed shirt was perfect for the event. After the challenge, he questioned why they would let him leave the house in that attire for the event. Such actions could cripple his reputation. That resonated with me because as we begin the process in starting a business or starting a new venture or even walking into purpose and passion, we must be able to have a thick enough skin to listen to critiques and yet a wisdom to know which critiques are worthless and which are not. I have learned that we must surround ourselves with people who are positive in our lives but also who can critique in love. They love us or care about our future enough to tell us the truth regardless if it is agreeing with what we think or not. They have our best interests at heart and are willing to help us grow and develop.

2. Relying on people who always say what is wrong without giving any solutions

There are people who not only point out a problem but they also offer a solution. It is sad to see when people always want to point out what is wrong but can never offer any solutions to fix the issues….I remember my years serving in the military and my commanders were always telling us that they did not want us to bring them problems unless we had solutions to these problems. As you move from existing in this life to living a purposeful and fulfilled life remember to always surround yourself with people who make it a standard that any problems brought to you have at least one solution. This is a proactive approach to offering help.

As always, remember that what you reap is what you sow. What you want for yourself is what you should be dishing out as well.

Please share your thoughts on this matter?

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Primerica Scam: The Real Picture

Primerica Scam: The Real Picture

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Why Tiger Woods and You will rise above failure and bad decisions!

Okay, so the hot topic in the media recently has been Tiger Woods and the affairs that he has had with not one but with several women. I know this may be a controversial topic but you will be encouraged in the end. I believe that as a human race we have idolized other human beings to the point where we can no longer see the humanity in them. The reason I was not outraged by the Tiger Woods story is that I have never placed him or any other celebrity on a pedestal regardless of their impact. I admired and still admire his love for the sport, talents, his tenacity, his champion attitude that he carries with him. I do not condone his actions but I am not the first to cast a stone. I have made many choices in my life which were harmful to myself and my family but were never known because I am not a public figure. The question then arises, “Should his wife stay or leave?” I believe that is a decision that they will both have to make together privately without help from the media, but I will not judge them for either decision. I will pray for them both and learn from their mistakes.

Seeing this story splashed all over the news has reminded me of the recent fall and rise of Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Former President Clinton and many other celebrities. They have made comebacks in the media spotlight. If they can do it, I believe that it will be the same for Tiger Woods. But more importantly, you, who are not in the media spotlight that intensely, can recover from failed business ideas, marketing principles or decisions.

4 Tidbits about Failure

Tidbit #1

Your best days are always ahead of you. The situation might seem unbearable now but in a few years you would look back on these challenges with a grateful heart, knowing that in the midst of adversity you became a better, stronger, wiser person.

Tidbit #2

Most often, you come back stronger, more focused and with new strategies and ideas that would never had happened if you had not had serious setbacks.

Tidbit #3

During the tough seasons you learn what you are made of and it is typically more than what you think. “Adversity causes some men to break and others to break records”–William Arthur Ward
Tidbit #4

Learn from your failures. Let your failures be your impetus for success. Treat your failures as an educational tool. Even though you have failed, you are not a failure; you have just been given an opportunity for great wisdom. ”Good people are good because they have come to wisdom thru failure. We get very little wisdom from success”–Wm Saroyan

This too shall pass!!!!

Be encouraged and please let me know what you think!

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Precious and The Blind Side--Sign of the Times!

Do you know what I have seen a lot of lately?

Movies with inspirational and encouraging undertones have become a hit in the box office recently. From Twitter to Facebook to coffeehouses to churches, people are talking about movies such as Precious and The Blind Side. Not only are these movies wonderfully made, but they serve to encourage and inspire. This is exactly what we need in this day and age—encouragement, inspiration and lots of love. In addition, we need to have a huge amount of gratitude for the things that we do have. With the loss of jobs and economical hardships, people are giving up hope and sometimes giving up their life or taking the lives of others. Let’s have an attitude of gratitude and let’s lend a helping hand to at least one person. Many people have given up hope but we can become a beacon of hope into their lives. You never know what a kind word, a helping hand, a visionary insight can do to affect the life of someone else.

Recently, I volunteered with my church in giving out 1000+ turkeys and food boxes to families in need for the Thanksgiving season. The joy that I had in helping someone else was increased by the smiles on the faces of the children and parents that were served that day. My role was as a greeter. Simple you may say but it was profound. We cheered on the families and treated them like royalty as soon as they entered the area. I truly believe that many of these families had been beaten down by life and just to have people treat them like kings and queens were a great boost to their self-esteem. You never know the effect that you can have on a person.

Remember, the seeds that you sow into someone may never be known but it will always reciprocate.

What are some things that you have done for others to encourage, inspire, bring hope?

***Want to use this article? No problem, but you must mention that: This blog was received from http://successblessed.blogspot.com***