A thought

It's funny how life can be at times.  A few years ago I read a book by Hannah Hurnard titled "Hinds Feet on High Places".  This book is not your typical type of book. It's allegory, meaning the characters in the story are rather symbolic.  There is a story line and it is easy to follow but like I said it's not your typical book/ story.
In the book the main character comes to the point in her life where she has to make a decision about what she is going to do with her life.  The decision that she makes isn't an easy one and once she makes it, there is opposition.  Which is quite common when we make a decision in life that will change it for the better.  As time has gone by I have thought about this book on numerous occasions, because at times I find myself being in the same type of predicament and the main character, in the story.   Sometimes I wonder if I will take the bull by the horns, as the saying goes, dig in deep and do what I need to do so I can be happier and be more fulfilled.  I do know that I need to be pushed at times in order to get going, otherwise not much will get done. Sometimes the pushing has to come from the people around me. At times this can be helpful but it can also be frustrating because I wonder why I couldn't have done it myself in the first place. Instead of having some come from the outside and be plunger, like in a pinball machine.  I do know that getting pushed is apart of life and something that we all must go through at some point. I just hope that after this transition I'm going through that I will be able to push myself and not have to be concerned about others having to push to get going.

Sidenote: Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard is available at any bookstore and on amazon.com.
In case you're interested in reading it.

Being comfortable vs. being uncomfortable

Life is full of choices and decisions that we make everyday. Regardless if it's simple as what to eat to breakfast to complicated decisions as whether to quit a job and start a business or whether to have children or not. Some decisions we make take a little thought and some take some contemplating and serious thinking.
Each decision we make can have a positive effect in our lives and help us to get where we want to go or it can have a negative effect and take us on a path that we don't want to go on and end up experiencing things we could've avoided.

One of the toughest decisions that we all  come to the point of making is getting out of our comfort zone, it's a decision that we all have to make and no one can make for us. People can encourage us and advise us on what to do but ultimately the decision is up to us, even God can't make the decision for us, He is not going to force or make you, because that would be violating your will.  When we come to this decision we have a couple of choices, either stay right where we are and do nothing and deal with the consequences of not doing to anything, which can be a good thing or bad thing.  Sometimes we need to stay put for a while because we may still need to grow and mature so we can handle the journey to our goal. However, it can be a huge mistake to stay in our comfort zone and do nothing, because life waits for no one. Life will pass you by and keep moving and before you know it you will wonder where the time went.   Now I will admit getting out of your comfort zone isn't easy. It's a process that does take time but it will be worth it in the end when you get to where it is that you want to go.
In the movie the Matrix Keanu Reeves' character Neo was presented with a choice to make given by Morphius played by Lawrence Fishbourne.  Either he, Neo, "take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes or take the blue pill and the story ends and (Neo) returns to his bed and he could believe whatever he wanted to do believe. "

The decision was up to Neo and what he wanted to. Either find out the answers to his questions that he had been wondering about for some time or return to his everyday life and be left wondering about the answers to his questions.   We all have opportunities to take either the red pill and get a chance to reach our goals or take the blue pill and possibly end up living with the coulda, shoulda and wouldas.  It's up to us as individuals.

 Once you make the decision to step out you will be amazed at who will come your way and help encourage you, push you, be there to comfort you, and guide you. In addition, you will have also have people in your life who will  to do the opposite, they will try to discourage you, will talk about you and even try to talk you out of it. But you have to ignore those folks and listen to that inner voice that's encouraging you and pushing you to keep moving forward.  Just like people trust their GPS when they are driving to an unfamiliar destination. When you are headed to your goal you will most likely not know where you're going or how to do get there and that's okay. There will be people who will come in your life that will experience and will know just what to do. They will show how to get to where you need to go,  no one goes at it alone we all need people in our lives to guide, advise us and be the GPS in our lives.



Everyone has an opportunity to make themselves become better, the question is are you willing to go through the process of becoming better? With the opportunity that comes your way will take advantage of it or let it pass you by?  Are you going to take the red pill and found what's in store for you or are you going to stay in your comfort zone and not make your dreams come true.

Will you  get in the car and drive to your destination that was meant for you or not?  Are you keeping yourself in your comfort zone? Sometimes we are our own worst enemy as well we can be our own best friend.







I will conclude with this you can do whatever it is that you set your mind to, you may have to ask for help, your may have to cry, pray, get mad and determined to reach your goals and be all that God wants you to be  or not.  One final question to ask yourself: is the pain of staying the same and staying comfortable outweighing the pain of not being the same and being uncomfortable?

Words of Wisdom

When listening to advise from a friend, a close family member or from a book ect... Ask yourself are you really listening to what is being said to you or are you letting it go in one and out the other, thinking about it and then later deciding that it isn't for you or are you allowing the influence of others opinions talk you out of it?  We all have a choice when listening to words of wisdom, and truth.  We can either reject it, pay a little attention to it and later ignore it, or allow other people to talk us out of it, or we can really listen and take heed to what is being said to us and work to apply it in our lives.

We all have these choices to make, no one can make it for us. It's up to us to decide whether we choose to listen to the adivise, pay paritial attention, not pay attention at all or allow the influence of others or life itself to keep us from receiving wisdom.  

The choice is up to you.

Either you can like a desert and be obstinate and not listen at all.

Listen to advise more often and then not.

Allow people and life to get in the way of your progress

Listen to advise and wisdom and grow and mature.

This is something that we all have to work on including myself but hopefully this will give some food for thought.

Getting back to the basics

This past few weeks have been interesting and eye opening for me.  I have learned some things about myself that in some ways I don't like but at the same time makes sense and has helped shed light on some things.  As a result and I'm working on getting back to the basics and strengthening my foundation that I know will hold me and support me.  That means making sure that I spend time in God's word on a daily basis and hearing from Him because without Him I won't succeed.   Secondly,working on seeing myself the way He sees me and loving me the way He does, which is something that I'm having a difficult time with and I'm asking to the Lord to help me with, because I need to love myself and appreciate myself for who I am and for whom God has made me to be. In addition there's the practical things such as keeping the house clean, such as keeping my room straight and organized,making sure I wash my clothes regularly and not allowing them to pile up etc. 

All of these things are important to me building a solid foundation and being all that God wants me to be.  I do know that this is a process and the foundation won't be built/strengthened overnight. It takes time and it's a daily thing.  I do know that I am learning and growing for that I am very grateful and thankful for and I just pray that I will continue to grow and mature everyday.   

Clutter and its effects.

For the past few weeks I have been surrounded by clutter in my room and around on my desk in my home office.
It's been bothering me and I keep telling myself that I need to straighten up and organize so my desk area and room can be clutter free. Unfortnately, I have a tendenacy to procrastinate and say I will do it later. It's gotten better but there is still room for improvment.  Today I finally decided to get my room in shape and declutter it. As I was finishing cleaning straightening up my dresser, I thought about clutter itself and how it effects us and our lives. In addition it can be a mirror or reflecion of how our lives are.  Meaning if a person living a very fast pace and busy life where they are always always on the go, that person may not only have a cluttered mind and thoughts but their personal space may be cluttered as well. When you live a cluttered lifestyle it cost you the important things in life such as time with family, friends, taking out time just be quiet and at peace, time to learn and grow as person and to learn important lessons the easy way instead of the hard way.  Also when a person has a personal space that's cluttered they spend ten thousand hours looking for stuff, which can be quite frustrating and aggravating. Trust I know, been there, at times still do and end up with quite a few t-shirts and hats.  Being organized is very important, because it can save you time, energy, frustration and aggravation. Also being uncluttered in our lives and putting things into perspectives can save us a lot of heartache, frustration and aggravation. Instead we gain priceless memories, a new perspective and outlook on life that can be very benefical to the people around us and ultimately ourselves.  People who live uncluttered lives are happier, fun to be around, they're encouraging, they enjoy life. Whereas people who have cluttered environments, they are temperamental, depressed, they can't think straight, they aren't happy with themselves, they don't accomplish much because they're in an enviornment that won't let them.

Ask yourself and be honest what type of environment am I surrounding myself with? Is my personal space free of clutter and full of life? Or is it junky full of dust and stagnate air?  If you personal space is organized and cluttered free then this should be encouragment to you and help you continue to be a clutter free person as much as possible. However, if you're not don't be discouraged. Let this be an encouragement to you to be uncluttered. Take it one day, one room, one section at a time.

Here are some tips:
1. pick a room
2. write down what needs to do be done.
3. make 3 separate piles
   - keep
   - throw away
   - donate
 Sidenote: you can either donate to a family member or friend, to an organization such as The Salvation Army or Goodwill.  When you donate to Goodwill or The Salvation Army  you can get a tax deduction.

4. Do a little bit each day and believe it will add up.
5. Put on some music and open up your windows and let some fresh air in this can also be a motivating factor. :-)
6. Ask a friend to help, or if you have a family make a fun family project where everyone can get involved.
7. Once you have your space completed, come up with a plan on how to keep the space organized and cluttered free.  You may have to revamp the plan a few times, which is normal no plan is perfect, leave some wiggle room because your needs will change over time. :-)
8. Repeat steps 1-7 until the job is done.

The point of living in a clutter free environment is to be able think clearly, be able to accomplish what you want to accomplish and be all that you can be and have an environment that supports that.

Family Reunion

This past Friday-Sunday was my family reunion.  This reunion, even though all reunions are unique and special, this particular one was even more special because of what of the feeling of togetherness and support that we have for another.We're going through a rather tough transition that we're slowly maneuvering our way through, there are still some unanswered questions that a few will get answered and others may never get answered, which is apart of life.  I have learned that my family is strong and that we have a determination and strength that will help us come out of this better than ever.   Also what made this reunion nice was being able to have fun, spending with each other, laughing, talking to the wee hours of the night, sharing personal experiences, teasing each other, reminiscing about old times, in addition to making new memories and finding out what everyone has been up to lately.  Family reunions are special time where people can come together and be together and have fun and enjoy one another.

Getting back on track

For the past few weeks I have been off track. Once you get off track it's difficult to get back on track.  For a few weeks I was keeping my bedroom neat, clean and organized. Now it looks like mini whirlwind. My bed is completely unmade, dresser is a bit cluttered and my room good use a good vacuum.  In addition I was walking pretty regularly and I haven't walked in a while due to me having pain in my shoulder and getting distracted by the house projects that are currently going on.  I am determined to get back on track and to make sure that I do the things I need to do so I can be healthy and feel good about myself. 

It's amazing how easy it can be to get off track. A lot times it doesn't take a whole lot but it sure takes a lot of effort to get back on track. Funny how that is. But I know once a person gets on track can creates new habits it can be pretty easy to maintain so long as the habits are realistic. 

It's important to realize that you have gotten off track, in order to get back on. Sometimes we aren't aware that we have gotten off track and it's important to be aware of when we do and even more important to have people around us to help us see when we're getting off track. Having a support system is key to not only getting on back on track, or even getting on track but also staying on track.  An support system can be a friend, a family member, people at your church, a co-worker or any combination.  You gotta set yourself up for success otherwise you won't succeed. Also you gotta be your own support system and be your own cheering section. Sometimes you can't always rely on others to cheer you on. Sometimes you have to cheer yourself on. These are just some of the lessons that I'm learning and I'm working on applying into my life.
I am by no means perfect or have it all together.  Believe me I don't!  It's called maintaining and doing daily maintenance.  However the big key and major player in my life is having God in my life and allowing Him to lead me and guide me, because without Him I'm a person on a merry go round going round and round in circles.  He has brought me a long way and has blessed me as well as helped me to see when I need to grow up and be mature and when I need to step out the way and let Him handle things.  

Getting back on track can be hard and difficult thing but it can also be a very rewarding thing especially when all the hard work, determination  as paid off. 

Little girls video message to Lil Wayne

little-girls-put-lil-wayne-on-defensive-for-offensive-lyrics

Here's the video they made------->

Today on facebook I saw this post about these little girls who made a video addressing Lil Wayne about his videos and his lyrical content in his music. It got me thinking about the things that we as people listen to whether on the radio, whether by satellite i.e XM raido, or by internet like Pandora or through the air like local radio stations or through our ipods or itunes. Do we really take the time out to think about what it is that we are really listening to and what's going into our minds?  I will admit there have been times when I've listened to the radio I focused mainly the beat of the music not so much on the lyrical content.  In the last several years or so I have paid more attention to what a lot of the artist are saying and it's amazing some of the things that you hear when you pay attention. I can recall a few times where I'm sitting in the car with my friend I'll say "Did he just say what I think he said? That he want to do ...?!"  Or she'll do ask me the same thing and we'll both shake our heads in disgust.  It's important to pay attention to the things that go into our minds. 

Like the father in the article, whom I commend, took the time out to educate his daughters on why these lyrics that artist rap or sing i.e Lil Wayne aren't okay.  Because not only as individuals do need to be aware but also we need to help our young people be aware of the things that they are listening to and use it as a moment to educate them. I really commend this young girls for taking a stand and expressing how they felt. 

I do hope that Lil Wayne and others like him will become aware of the influence.

Determined to grow up and be mature

Today is the first day I am working on being determined to do the things I need to do in order for me to be successful in life.  For the past several years I haven't accomplished much and I'm sad to say I've let life pass me by and ended up wasting a lot of time and energy when I could have been helping to make a difference in someone else's life and ended up cheating myself in the end.  Sounds depressing doesn't it?  Imagine how I feel considering I lived it.  Not proud of it, fortunately I can still do something about and I'm going to do just that.

The first step is get things in order in my own personal space.  Such as keeping my bedroom neat and organized so I can sleep in a peaceful and uncluttered environment.  Also keeping my bathroom neat and clean so it's pleasant for me, after all I deserve it. Lastly to keep my desk, which I'm working on currently, neat, clean and organized.  These things are important because if I can't keep my own personal space together and organized and neat how am I going to keep my office space at my job neat and clean? My father has a saying: " The way you practice is the way you play the game"  Meaning the habits that you create and form is what's going to show up in public where everyone can see.  So if I'm practicing being organized and being neat then when it's time for me to go in the work my neatness and organization skills will show up, and vise versa. If I'm practicing being sloppy, unorganized and a mess then that's what is going to show up.


In order for me to accomplish my goals that I have set for life and to the things I want to do I'm going to have to take small steps and make each day count.

Ask yourself these questions and BE HONEST!
How are you practicing for your game? What are you doing to prepare yourself life's challenges and opportunities?