Vision 2012

Okay ladies this is it the end of the year and it’s time to make some changes. 2012 is about making our accomplishments come true. Let’s make our vision boards..Yep I said it vision boards.

I’ve learned if you see what you want to do in front of you everyday, then it will make it more real for you. Here is how to get started:

Materials

1. Poster Board
2. Magazines
3. Camera (to take pictures)
4. Glue
5. Markers/Color Pencils

Activity

On your poster board you will cut pictures out of the magazines or take pictures of the things you wish to accomplish in 2012. Once you complete your board, place it somewhere in your house where you can see it everyday.

Ladies it is time to take back what the enemy has taken or is discouraging you about. God is ready to take you to another level in 2012, He wants you active. I know there may be some things in your way, but if you never push forward you will never get to where you need to be, you have to make sacrifices to see your dreams come to pass “Faith without works is dead”

As we walk into Vision 2012 I would love to hear some of your visions and if any have been accomplished. Please comment on this blog post, e-mail, or tweet me your success stories. I pray that as you create your vision board that God will assist you in accomplishing your goals.

~Blessings

LadyB

Forget Me Not

During these hard economic times, and the presence of fast moving technology we are entrapped in our busy schedules. Everyday it seems as though you are on repeat, wake up rushing to make to work, stressing about how the boss is going to be today, you may be stressed about a test you have to take a class that you just don’t understand. On top of all of this, you are worried about the bill that will get paid and won’t, you have worries about a failing marriage, your life just seems to be in shambles so now what?

Very often we seek the counsel in the wrong people. Nothing is wrong with going to a counselor, or friends, but what Jesus? Sometimes you will not get the answer from others, not even you pastor. God is looking for us to seek Him, I believe that during these last days God is requiring even more from us because He wants His children to prevail and start winning souls for the Kingdom, but He wants us to get our lives together.

My prayer for all of us is that we not forget who God is and what he can do. He is not a genie in a bottle that we can call on when we want something, He is our everything. I love to call Him Daddy because that is just who he is, as a child when you didn’t listen to your parents what happened?... you were punished for what you did, and you had to seek their forgiveness, in the mean time you learned a valuable lesson you do wrong you get in trouble but you must seek forgiveness so your relationship will not be tarnished. God is the same way sometimes God allows certain things to happen in our lives, and He waits for us to say something to Him so that He can show us just who He is and what He can do.

It’s time to thank God for not only good but the bad, and don’t stop praising because you don’t have a job, don’t stop praising because you marriage is on the rocks, don’t stop praising because you don’t know where the money is coming from, don’t stop praising when the doctor says there is nothing can do, don’t stop praising when the kids are acting up, don’t stop praising because your classes are hard. Don’t Stop Praising!!!!! When the praises go Up the Blessings come Down. Don’t forget Daddy, is the only one who knows exactly what to do, just don’t forget your part.

Prayer:

Lord help us to not let life get in the way until we forget who are and what you can do. Lord give us the strength to endure life’s struggles that we acknowledge you before we make any step. Lord you could have cut us off so many times before, had it not been for your Grace & Mercy I don’t know where I would be. Lord forgive us for putting life, others, and ourselves first, Thank you for being there for me even when I am not there with you.

                                                                     Blessings!

                                                              ~Lady B

In His Presence

I woke up yesterday morning with praise on my lips and a song in my heart that I just could not shake. I started getting ready to begin my day and I felt like the Lord was calling me to talk to him because I had so much on my heart. Although I wrote in my prayer diary He wasn’t hearing it he wanted me to open my mouth and talk. As I began talking to the Lord I felt as if he was right in front of me listening and saying “keep talking I’m here”.

After my conversation with the Lord I just sat and thought about how I spend my week at work stressed about all of the stuff I have to do, then get home worn out ready to eat and go to bed, but when do I pray, before I go to bed that definitely enough. I realized that I must make the time to pray during my day no matter what even if I have to go in the bathroom stall, I realized that while living alone I am free to worship and praise God…Seriously what is wrong with me why haven’t I figured that out already???

I know that some of you are probably thinking the same thing. Ladies we need to stay in God’s presence turn your phones off, the television off, the music off, and turn yourself off. When you are in God’s presence you are naked as a child come into this world, He wants raw emotion not your thoughts running all over the place.  

Lord help me to always to be in your presence, I don’t want to forget who you are, I don’t want to start my day without a prayer or go through my day without acknowledging your presence in my life. Lord I give myself to you, forgive me for not being the daughter I’m supposed to be. Without you Lord I am nothing, In Your Presence is where I want to be because Lord I need your help.

Blessings,

~Lady B

My Thoughts on Kim Kardashian's Divorce

I’m sure you all know the headlines, It’s all over the news, radio stations, magazines, and the internet, so here I am I figured let me put my two cents in. Just a warning to you before you continue reading if you are expecting gossip and bashing of her character you might as well log off, because this is NOT that kind of blog.

I am not an avid viewer of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but I have watched episodes of Kim’s relationship with her now soon to be ex-husband Kris Humphries and I myself said I didn’t think they will work. Though I do believe Kimberly was in love I kind of think that she was in love with the idea of being in love. I am pretty sure some of us can relate, we meet that “perfect” guy he says those great things you want to hear and your heart just skips a beat when you see him, you feel like a school girl in love when he texts you cute messages and you hear his voice so you blow off the red flags.

What I’ve noticed as most of America probably noticed as well is that, Kim and Kris are in two different places in their lives and what they value, and I am not referring to age. Before I continue I would like to remind you that although their lives are filmed, the camera does not film everything so we only know and see what the cameras want us to see…Okay back to my take on the situation, Kim works hard as an entrepreneur and she takes her job seriously what she works for she wants to see the fruits of her labor so she purchases lavish items, these items represent her hard work and dedication “Hint the tantrum in Bora Bora @ the beach”. Kris on the other hand works hard but preserves his money for important purchases, he’s a laid back, take life as it comes kind of guy.

In my observation of television talk show and radio everyone talk about Kim as if she were not a person they talk about how dysfunctional her family is, how she is only famous for her scandal with Ray Jay, and they speak so vulgar about her body and the “only thing she is good for”…I hope you get the picture. What we fail to realize is situations like this happens on a daily basis, the only difference is your lives are not being played out on television. We sit around and glorify celebrities as if they hold the standards for our lives, we act as if we have never made mistakes, but as soon as a celebrity does something wrong life as you know it is over. How many of you come from dysfunctional families? How many of you have dumb stuff as a teenager that you are trying to make up for? How many women do you think are out there who have gotten married because of the idea of marriage and being in love? How many beautiful single women do you think are looking for love to have a man wrap his arms around her and say I Love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you? How many women do you think find it hard to balance work and personal life?

Sometimes in life we don’t make the right choices, what we thought would work just doesn’t anymore. It happens in our personal lives and in business. Am I justifying Kim’s divorce? No, I am simply saying we all know when something isn’t right about any relationship or opportunity. Of course we have some sort of family dysfunction that causes a glitch in our thinking capacity, but who doesn’t? I personally am praying for Kim Kardashian because I could never imagine such scrutiny and every other celeb that goes through such scandal. Yeah, they put their lives out there, but do we really have to take it to such extremes? I guess that’s why I’m not in radio and television.

Lesson: No one is exempt from scrutiny, everyone has a past, and we all make bad decisions. Before we open our mouths we should look too our own circumstances, and sympathize with  those who are hurting and pray for those who feel lost.

These are just my thoughts…

                                                      Blessings!

I DIDN'T KNOW MY OWN STRENGTH

“Just when I thought all hope was lost and everyone had turned their backs on me, I found it in myself to move forward.”

At work, in the checkout line at the store, or networking I meet people every day that inspire me. For some reason as quiet as I am people will come up to me in conversation and start spilling their life stories, I don’t mind it though because it confirms my purpose and it shows me that everyone has a story even a young child.

I have listened to testimonies of cancer survivors or battling, people who have lost loved ones, those who are taking care of family members who are ill, being involved in abusive relationships, being tossed around in the foster care system, sexual abuse victims, those who have been incarcerated, and those who have lost their income/home and family, this list can go and on. One thing I notice as a commonality in their stories is they didn’t know their own strength, although they acknowledged God in their survival, but they also possessed inner strength that allowed them to move forward. What is it that we pray when we are going through hard times or to prevent from strangling the life out of the kids…“Lord give me the strength” Yes, strength to endure life’s challenges and to cope with what is soon to come, without strength you are weak left with no defenses which means when attacked you can’t stand.

I had the privilege to listen to a 14 year old girl share her story of her life challenges. She lived with her mother who was on drugs and this young lady of course was constantly criticized. This young girl needed family and turned to the wrong kind, she joined a gang, at the age of 10 this baby girl was a gang banger. Even at such a young age this girl knew that there was more to life than sex, drugs, and violence at the age of 12 she was jumped out of the gang, doctors didn’t know if she would make it because she was so badly beaten. When she recovered she relocated with her grandmother, life was still troubled, but she was determined to be a better person and help her peers who were going through her similar trials she stated that she had to find the strength from within to change to be the person she knows she can be.

I met a woman with three children who had been abused by her husband for several years. Her family and friends tried to help her and convince her to leave, but it was excuse after excuse, she had left him at one point, but he found her and promised it would be better he apologized, and brought her flowers, she believed him and when back home. It wasn’t until in one of his rages one her children was badly injured and this was actually the final straw. Though she hated that one of her children had to get hurt to leave she realized that she could continue to put her children or herself in such danger. She never thought that she would have it in her to finally leave but she found the strength.

You may have may have found the strength to go back to school after dropping out or after having a child and people said you would never amount to anything. You may have started your own business or may be thinking about starting your own business. You may be starting over after a nasty divorce, or you may be working to rebuild a once broken marriage, you may be fighting opposition left and right, but the bottom line is you found your strength. We all have different stories, but one thing we all have said is “I didn’t know my own strength”.

If you’re reading this and think your situation is too far gone, think again. When can’t depend or call on anyone know there are two people that will always have your back and that God and should be yourself. Don’t give up on God or yourself remember this scripture in fact write it down and say it to yourself just when you think it’s over:

“When I fall, I will arise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me”

Miach 7:8 (NIV)

 

“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.”

                                                  ~Marcus Antoninus

                                                                   Blessings!

                                                                  ~Lady B

  

                                 

                                                                    

Seasonal People & Life Time Expectations

After the thousandth time of watching Madea Goes To Jail (The Play) her words hit me harder than ever. In all of Tyler’s plays especially those with Madea he always gives her the opportunity to share some wisdom with the audience. In this particular play Madea stated that sometimes people are with those who they are only supposed to be with for a season, but have kept them around due to life time expectations. Hmmm…That’s deep.

This really got me to thinking, not only about romantic relationships, but relationships with friends, peers, business related, and family. Do you have seasonal people in our lives that we have made life time expectations for? If you are thinking as hard as I was when I heard Madea then you are probably thinking to yourself who are these seasonal people that I have kept around too long? Here are a few questions/concerns you can ask yourself that might shed some light:

1. Do you question the relationship in general?
2. Do you always have to raise a question on how they feel about you?
3. Do they support what you do/your efforts or do they judge you and put you down.
4. Is the relationship based on what you do for them or what you do for each other?
5. You find yourself always in an argument, though there is an apology it is reutine.
6. You have grown, but your counter part has not and they don’t seem to understand your new direction.

These are just a few questions or situations that have been on your mind for quite some time, but you may have brushed them off by saying “this is just how they operate”.

What Do We Do With Our Seasonal People?

It is very stress and upsetting  when it’s time to move on (Sometimes), but keeping seasonal people in our lives will cause us to miss the very thing God has in store for us. It can also cause doubt towards our capabilities because you may not be receiving the support you expected. I am literally speaking to myself as I write this blog. Knowing the difference I think is not the hard part, the hard part is letting go and moving on. I’m not suggesting you eliminate those persons out of your life completely although in some cases you may, but the relationship has to change. They may no long be able to handle your business affairs, you may no longer need to include this person in your personal affairs whatever the case may be situations change as people change and vice versa. 

We as women have to have standards for ourselves, and relationships, this is not the time to be petty, but to give boundaries and what is healthy for us and what we will allow into our personal space. Sine I turned the ripe ole age of 30 J I realized that I have no tolerance for games “if you have something to say, be a woman and say it!” I also don’t do negativity. I told myself to suck it up and stop the complaining I must surround myself around positive people, when people want to talk trash about others I try to change the subject.  I even instill this attitude to my clients they know they if they walk into my office feeling down and out they will leave with a new outlook on whatever the situation may be. People who are negative or seasonal will never bear fruit in my life or their own. We all need positive people in our lives encouragers, though you are entitled to a down day don’t let it get to you.

It’s time to make it happen for ourselves and those who don’t make the cut have to go. This is your season for prosperity and bearing the fruits of your labor if you have a seasonal person in your life it’s time to change, we can’t wear summer clothes in the winter. So, out with the old in with the new, network and see won’t God give you just what you need.

                                   Blessings!

                                     Lady B

Releasing Your Dreams

I was supposed to post this blog last Sunday, but I got distracted with something else and as you know during the work week it was just hectic and I said to myself “Amelia you are going to post this, this weekend” and here I am.

Yesterday Saturday October 8, 2011 was my very first opportunity to speak about my book Taking Responsibility & Loving Yourself: Your Journey To Womanhood. It was held by my aunt’s organization Woman 2 Woman, Inc.  I was asked to discuss what inspired me to write my book and why. After I spoke the message was brought forth and God confirmed the message I had for you my bloggers. God also confirmed it through the women that attended the event, several women came up to me and said that I inspired them… me, I inspired grown women, women that could tell me a thing or two about life, and this was truly a humbling experience.

I say that to say this to my Women of High Standard, release your dreams, stop sitting on what God gave you, I am 30 and I am not in the place where I thought I would be when I was 18, but I know that I am in the season God wants me to be in. It was the biggest sacrifice getting my book published, but I did it because God gave it to me and I didn’t want Him to take it away and give it someone else. What dream are you sitting on? What is it that God has told you to do, that you are not doing today?

I hear women say things like “I have been thinking about starting my own business or I want to go back to school etc.” Do IT! What are you waiting on? The speaker said “God gives us a season and this is our window of opportunity, you can take it or leave it”. Where is your faith? I know we sit and look at our current circumstances, but God is not asking you to be stupid and spend ALL your money, and jump off a bridge, He is simply saying “Trust in me daughter, take my hand and I will lead the way”.

God is tired of His people being so lazy all we do is complain and look at other people flourish…Why? The scripture given yesterday was Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”…God can and will do, but according to that power that is in Y-O-U…so are you powered up ladies?

Study your gift, educate yourself on what you want to become, take as many classes you need to get yourself there. II Timothy says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…” If you are unsure of your purpose ask God to show you, ask Him for confirmation trust me He will give it to you, if you just open up your heart to Him.

I pray that this has encouraged you to Release Your Dreams.

                                           ~BLESSINGS,

                                                    Lady B          http://youtu.be/BvKiwr9yIkA