Motivational Monday: Closed Minds Don't Get Fed

Lately, I've been exercising my open mindedness and helping others to exercise theirs. Yesterday was date night with the soon to be hubby. We drove around the city laughing, people watching, trying to find something to do on a brisk Atlanta day. As it turns out, the theme for our date night was all about getting Hubby to try new things and be open minded. The first thing he tried was this restaurant I've been telling him about. And he helped me to open my mind about what we should do. I had to think, if we both hadn't kept our minds open, we would have missed out on a great day together.

That's the thing, when you close your mind to the endless possibilities, you prevent great opportunities and blessings from flourishing. Think about the last time you started to close your mind to something, changed your mind, and great things started happening. I know if I had closed my mind to going to certain events or meeting with certain people I would not know the great people that I know today. If you had closed your mind to that job offer or unexpected opportunity who knows where you would be!

The gist of it is this, closed minds don't get fed. When you keep your mind closed, you prevent the flow of knowledge, information, and opportunities. The mind itself is a receptacle, always waiting to receive...why would you keep the lid closed?

"It's essential to keep an open mind, and to be willing--better yet, eager--to try new things "
       -Michael Abrash

Motivational Monday: Be a Seed Sower

Yesterday, I watched Joel Osteen. I really enjoyed his sermon about sowing your seeds through helping of others. I've heard many times that the best way to pick your spirits up is by picking up the spirits of others...by being of service to others. Now I know some of us may not have the time to devote constantly volunteering at a local shelter, church, or food bank, but think about the people who are in your daily life that you can simply make sure they are okay. Maybe you can offer them some encouraging words, send them some information guiding them in the right direction, or event give them the gift of an attentive ear.

When we lend out a helping hand to others, the universe lends us a helping hand. I like to think of it as depositing some change into our karmic accounts and receiving interest from the universal bank. How much did you deposit today? What will the interest be in the long run? Nothing is better than getting back more than what you put in.

So today as you begin your week, think about what is going on in your life. Think about the changes you hope to come. Think about whatever you are being challenged by and put that energy towards helping someone else create positive change.

"Sow your seeds in your time of need. Sometimes God won't send us the answers we need, instead he'll send us a seed that holds the answer.
'Trust in the Lord and do good.' (Psalms 37:3)"
       -Joel Osteen

Motivational Monday: Be A Snake Charmer

Last week, I had a dream that I was being followed by a snake. It wasn't just your regular garden variety snake. It was a gigantic python! I'm a huge believer that some of our dreams tell us things that we should be aware of or even predict things to come. Naturally, I woke up baffled by what the dream meant. I saw the snake, it hissed at me, I was frightened and then I woke up. I checked my dream book to see what it meant, but it didn't really offer me any comfort.

Fast forward a few days later, I was speaking to a close associate of mine about how every time they encounter this particular person, there is a constant undertone of hatred, jealousy, and negativity. It got me to thinking about some old sayings about "snakes in the grass." Matter a fact, Southern artist Big K.R.I.T. penned the line

"He said I should cut my grass because I'm surrounded by snakes. Not sure if that was metaphorical or if he had seen one today."

In my opinion, we give too much energy to the snakes. We often worry about who they are, what they're doing, when they'll strike. I think we should learn to be snake charmers. Soothe Sayers whose job is to not be frightened by the snake, not attack the snake, but to charm them

Speaking literally, if you are aware of someone being negativity towards you or "hating" on you...you're not busy enough. You are focusing too much energy on what they are doing and not enough on what you should be doing. Be a soothe sayer, treat them with kindness, don't allow their energy to destroy yours. I'm certain all of us have a snake or two in our midst. The most we can do is be aware and be busy.

"Be so busy that you don't have the time to know who your haters are. And when you know who they are...charm them. Sometimes the best revenge is to smile...and move on."

Motivation Monday: Consistency Kills

By now, we all have heard about the Trayvon Martin situation that has happened in Sanford, FL. And believe me, if it doesn't touch your heart and make you upset...then you've got issues (in my opinion). As I've been watching the news, reading the paper, and listened to the radio about all the outrage and rallies that have taken place since this story hit mainstream news it led me to think. This case is not new.

We've had situations like this since WAY before I was born. It is a situation that resembles has the potential to resemble the Civil Rights Movement. What I mean is that depending on what the people decide to do and continue to do will either be the game changer we need in this county when it comes to not only race relations but also human rights/ human error.

There have been so many recent cases, Jena 6, Sean Bell, Genarlo Wilson, and Troy Davis that had so much momentum in the beginning but as soon as people felt like the fight was lost or that there was nothing more that they could do...all the momentum and noise died. And it makes me sad. The reason why so much change happened in the 60s is because of the high amount of consistency they had to continue the fight. Regardless of if they secretly felt like there was nothing they could do...they STILL. DID. SOMETHING. They remained consistent in their fight to work together in the greater good for the people.

Now this post isn't necessarily about having consistency when it comes to fighting for human rights, but it does shed light on a major problem we have, especially in America, as humans fighting for our rights. We lack consistency...we lack consistency sooooo bad. Think about it. If we would put even half as much energy into consistently shedding light on issues that impact us all, on standing up for what we believe in, on working together for the common good, we could be so far right now.

So implore you, use this opportunity to be consistent in your stance and your believes because when all else fails, the consistency of the people will always prevail.

"It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do consistently."
       -Tony Robbins

Motivational Monday: Don't Be A Blessing Blocker

Lately, I've been seeing people who are blocking their own blessings...and I don't think they realize it. So many of us look for a clearly written sign in the skies which prevents us from seeing what's right in front of us.

How often do you see small victories as a preliminary blessing for a bigger blessing? Probably all the time. We are so accustomed to wanting things to be bigger, greater, faster, etc that when we receive something that is smaller, lesser, or slower we ignore it and put it to the wayside.

Before we can achieve big things we have to accept the small victories. Maybe you are in medical school, your big victory is to get your PhD...but your small victory is that you passed that major test or you met someone in your field who can be your mentor. Or maybe you're an entrepreneur. You want to someday own this international conglomerate but today you manage a small firm that has recently started to get more clientele.

My point is this, "Big things have small beginnings. So don't block your blessings because you expect or wish them to be bigger." The small victories add up and those blessings are a set up for the larger ones to come.

When God provides you with a blessing/ opportunity, no matter how big or small appreciate it and show him that you are ready for the bigger blessings to come.

Motivational Monday: High Standards

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself."

       -Henry Ward Beecher

5 Things You Can Do Now to De-stress

So yesterday, I discussed "going through hell". Even though it is a growing and learning process, it is still a stressful one. There are so many things you can do to de-stress and relax that doesn't take much money if any...

1. Unplug and meditate.
   Sometimes, what we choose to tune into causes us to be stressed and we don't realize it. TV "reali-dramas" are made to invoke emotions and cause us to be stirred. I wouldn't be surprised if there is scientific evidence that it raises our blood pressure and lowers our self-confidence. As addicted to social media as we are...a lot of the times it is good to unplug from it. Give yourself a day a week to unplug from the computer, the Facebook, the Twitter, etc and learn to meditate. There is something calming and refreshing about sitting quietly and doing nothing. Not worrying about anything and clearing our minds. And if meditating is too hard for you, read a book or go outside or hang with friends. The best thing about unplugging from the world is that you get a greater sense of the world around you that we ignore when we are so tuned into our devices and problems.


2. Be creative...even if you're not.
   Now I know there are many people who are not naturally gifted in the art of being creative. That's okay. Whether you are creative, artistic, resourceful or wish you were...be creative. Being creative stimulates your mind and has a calming effect. Here's an idea for the non-creative types: go to the dollar store, buy a coloring book and some crayons or colored pencils and give yourself 30 minutes to an hour a day to "be creative." You'll find that you will feel more relaxed every time you start to color.


3. Serve others.
   Nothing is more refreshing than being of service to others. Helping people who are in a worse situation than you helps you to realize how good you really have it. There are ALWAYS opportunities to volunteer and help out, you just have to find the one that you enjoy the most.


4. Treat yourself.
   You can look at this one a number of ways. Treating yourself could mean buying those shoes you've had your eye on for a while and taking yourself out on a really nice date. It could mean treat yourself to time off...from family, friends, work...see #1. Treating yourself is a way for you to give back to the person you may have been neglecting...yourself. Naturally we want to insure that everyone around us is okay, but as a result we neglect ourselves. It's time we learn to make US our top priority...in the end, everyone will benefit from it.


5. Do more of what makes you happy.
   Have you always been athletic but you haven't been on a court is years? Or maybe you used to be a wonderful singer but you gave it up to pursue another dream. Or even running is something that makes you feel alive, but you've neglected the pavement because of kids, work, or whatever. DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!

When life gets crazy, how do you de-stress?