Currently, my paid profession is that of a Registered Nurse. My specialty is Labor & Delivery and I love working with pregnant moms. While I have personally never had a baby, working with women who are ready to deliver their babies has taught me to look out for some characteristics unique to that population. For one thing, her personality is distinctly different from when she first “thinks” she’s in labor to when she actually is. As the time gets closer for her to deliver, she begins to get overwhelmed with the incredible urge to bear down. And when she is ready, there is no force in heaven or earth or an epidural that can stop the show!
So it should be with our dreams and visions. If you find yourself in a place where you're increasingly uncomfortable, dissatisfied, and downright ornery, you may need to PUSH! Once a seed of greatness has been implanted in you, you can only carry it for so long until you must give birth to it. If you continue to hold back your gifts, you will not be happy and you will make sure others around you aren’t happy, either. So what are you waiting on? Mr. Right? To get a promotion on your job? To hit the lottery? Although those things may come to pass for you at some point, think of all the time you’re wasting waiting for the “right” conditions. As with women who are giving birth naturally, the circumstances may not be ideal, but that baby is coming whether she’s ready or not. So get in position to bring forth your “baby” and PUSH!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Last Week's Poll Results...
Last week’s poll question was: You walk in the room feeling fierce. You notice all eyes are on you. You think to yourself, “I must be hot tonight!” Someone taps you on the shoulder and tells you that you have toilet paper stuck to your shoe. What would you immediately do?
Seventy-Five percent of you said that you would, ‘Quickly remove the toilet paper and play it off like it never happened; daring anyone to mention it.’ And the other 25% said that you would ‘Leave the toilet paper on your shoe; pretend it’s a fashion statement and work the room like the rock stah fashionista you are!’ No one said that they would run out of the room because they were completely mortified. One thing is for sure, you ladies realize that no matter what the shortcoming appears to be, you have to learn to accept it, embrace it, and rock it! Kudos!
Seventy-Five percent of you said that you would, ‘Quickly remove the toilet paper and play it off like it never happened; daring anyone to mention it.’ And the other 25% said that you would ‘Leave the toilet paper on your shoe; pretend it’s a fashion statement and work the room like the rock stah fashionista you are!’ No one said that they would run out of the room because they were completely mortified. One thing is for sure, you ladies realize that no matter what the shortcoming appears to be, you have to learn to accept it, embrace it, and rock it! Kudos!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Hand You're Dealt
When I was growing up, I hated my name. It was different from everyone else’s and I used to get teased incessantly. I was called “Tangerine”, “Tangy” and my all time favorite, “Tangerinee-Weeney”! I wanted a more common name like “Jacqueline” or “Demetria” so that I could fit in and not stand out. Then I struggled with insecurities about having to wear glasses. I was kind of homely and my hair was nappy. As I became a teenager, I struggled with not having “good” hair, light skin or light brown eyes. I was skinny and my feet were big, and I began to seek approval in all the wrong ways. As an adult, I’ve questioned why I started losing my hair in my late twenties, why I struggled with infertility and most recently, why do I potentially have an eye disease that could threaten my vision in the future.
The list of ‘why’s’ can be endless. It’s in times when I’m feeling the most vulnerable that I have to rest on what I know verses what I feel. What I know is that God knew me before I was formed in my mother’s womb and that He has a definite and specific plan for my life. That plan can only be fulfilled by me in my unique, pre-designed way. I know that nothing that occurs in my life is a surprise to God. He has already pre-destined my path and I just need to walk in it with confidence and ease.
If I would have designed my life, it would have been a whole lot different, but not necessarily to my good. I think in life we can take a lesson from one of my favorite card games, spades. When the cards come around, you don’t know what you’re going to get, but a good player always knows how to make the most of the hand they’re dealt.
The list of ‘why’s’ can be endless. It’s in times when I’m feeling the most vulnerable that I have to rest on what I know verses what I feel. What I know is that God knew me before I was formed in my mother’s womb and that He has a definite and specific plan for my life. That plan can only be fulfilled by me in my unique, pre-designed way. I know that nothing that occurs in my life is a surprise to God. He has already pre-destined my path and I just need to walk in it with confidence and ease.
If I would have designed my life, it would have been a whole lot different, but not necessarily to my good. I think in life we can take a lesson from one of my favorite card games, spades. When the cards come around, you don’t know what you’re going to get, but a good player always knows how to make the most of the hand they’re dealt.
Last Week's Poll Results...
The question was: What’s the Best Way to Deal with Haters?
Sixty-Eight percent of you said that you would “feel flattered because if you weren’t doing anything spectacular, they wouldn’t be hatin’ on you in the first place.” The next runner up was to “pretend they dropped off the face of the earth”. One thing that I’ve learned is that as long as you’re doing something worth-wild, there will always be the Peanut Gallery trying to throw water on your flame. They’re full of criticism, comments and critiques, but none that are helpful. You have to get to a place where, yes, you ignore them, but also use their rhetoric as a clue that you are, indeed, doing yo’ thang, and One Monkey (or two or three) don’t stop the show!
Sixty-Eight percent of you said that you would “feel flattered because if you weren’t doing anything spectacular, they wouldn’t be hatin’ on you in the first place.” The next runner up was to “pretend they dropped off the face of the earth”. One thing that I’ve learned is that as long as you’re doing something worth-wild, there will always be the Peanut Gallery trying to throw water on your flame. They’re full of criticism, comments and critiques, but none that are helpful. You have to get to a place where, yes, you ignore them, but also use their rhetoric as a clue that you are, indeed, doing yo’ thang, and One Monkey (or two or three) don’t stop the show!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tune In and Tune Out
I love listening to music on my iPod. I like to crank up the volume and tune out my surroundings. When I’m jammin’, the world could be coming to an end, but I don’t hear it and I don’t care about it. Taking my earphones out of my ear becomes a reality check, so to speak. I, then, realize where I am and have to deal with the circumstances at hand.
When you’re on your path to Purpose, there are some skills you need to develop in order to get to your wealthy place. First, you have to tune in to positive vibes that will fuel your energy. That can be in the form of receiving instruction from a mentor, reading a good book, or being encouraged by your Boo. Those tools of motivation can help give you that boost you need to keep on keepin’ on. You also have to learn to tune out negativity. That negativity can come from some Hater on your job, a doubting family member or even the negative self-talk in your mind. Whatever the source, it’s got to go! Think about all the people that are at the place you’re trying to get to. No doubt they experienced some nay-sayers and player-haters along the way who were less than supportive of their efforts. What makes them so unique? They went for it despite the obstacles, despite the disappointments, despite the rejection and you can, too. In the meantime, learn to focus on that which will catapult you to success and pretend you’re listening to your iPod and practice the art of tuning in and tuning out.
When you’re on your path to Purpose, there are some skills you need to develop in order to get to your wealthy place. First, you have to tune in to positive vibes that will fuel your energy. That can be in the form of receiving instruction from a mentor, reading a good book, or being encouraged by your Boo. Those tools of motivation can help give you that boost you need to keep on keepin’ on. You also have to learn to tune out negativity. That negativity can come from some Hater on your job, a doubting family member or even the negative self-talk in your mind. Whatever the source, it’s got to go! Think about all the people that are at the place you’re trying to get to. No doubt they experienced some nay-sayers and player-haters along the way who were less than supportive of their efforts. What makes them so unique? They went for it despite the obstacles, despite the disappointments, despite the rejection and you can, too. In the meantime, learn to focus on that which will catapult you to success and pretend you’re listening to your iPod and practice the art of tuning in and tuning out.
Last Week's Poll Results...
The question was: You’re on your way to a job interview for your dream job. With 10 minutes to spare, you sit in the lobby waiting to be interviewed. You look down at your blouse & notice a big jelly stain from the chicken biscuit you ate earlier. Just as you were about to run to the bathroom to try to get the stain out, the interviewer calls you back…
Seventy-two percent of you said that you would ‘Put on your million-dollar smile and work that interview like your unemployment check depended on it’. AMEN to that! We all have imperfections that we have to work around, but nothing is more attractive than confidence. You’re on the right track, sistah, so keep workin' it out!
Seventy-two percent of you said that you would ‘Put on your million-dollar smile and work that interview like your unemployment check depended on it’. AMEN to that! We all have imperfections that we have to work around, but nothing is more attractive than confidence. You’re on the right track, sistah, so keep workin' it out!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Work With Whatcha Got!
When I was growing up, Debutante pageants were real popular. They were supposed to be a ‘coming out’ ceremony for a young lady, but were more of a lesson in who could raise the most money. There was always a talent portion, which I dreaded. Most of the contestants would usually sing or display some musical gift. I, on the other hand, am not musically-inclined. My ‘special’ talent was always orating. (Yawn!) Anytime there was any display of talent, I was the narrator or speech-giver. Neither I nor the audience appreciated my talent. Even as I became older, I would secretly envy people with artsy gifts while I lamented about not having a ‘gift’.
As I began to explore my purpose and really start focusing on what I was put here to do, I realized that my ability to relay stories, both on paper and in person, is INDEED a gift. Wow! What a revelation! It changed my whole perspective about how I saw myself. You may not be able to sing like Mariah, work it like Beyonce or look like Halle, but you do have that ONE thing that is unique to you and the world is waiting for it to manifest. There’s a quote that says, “When you undervalue who you are, people undervalue what you do”. Haven’t you seen that Confident Sistah who, by other people’s standards, may not have the greatest assets, but she’s always workin’ it? She’s tapped into the knowledge of who she really is and you can too. Stop looking at what you don’t have and capitalize on what you do have and then start workin’ with whatcha got!
As I began to explore my purpose and really start focusing on what I was put here to do, I realized that my ability to relay stories, both on paper and in person, is INDEED a gift. Wow! What a revelation! It changed my whole perspective about how I saw myself. You may not be able to sing like Mariah, work it like Beyonce or look like Halle, but you do have that ONE thing that is unique to you and the world is waiting for it to manifest. There’s a quote that says, “When you undervalue who you are, people undervalue what you do”. Haven’t you seen that Confident Sistah who, by other people’s standards, may not have the greatest assets, but she’s always workin’ it? She’s tapped into the knowledge of who she really is and you can too. Stop looking at what you don’t have and capitalize on what you do have and then start workin’ with whatcha got!
Poll Results: What's the Best Way to End a Bad Relationship?
The winning response was, “Tell them, 'It’s me, not you’." Sixty-One percent of you thought it best to save their feelings and make a grand exit using the oldest line in the book! LOL! I guess it still works…
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