sistahology.com

Organization may be you middle name, but you still find yourself struggling to get through all of your to do’s.  Sometimes the best way to check a task off the endless list is by handing it over to someone else.  But, delegating doesn’t mean ditching your responsibilities, nor does it highlight any shortcomings.  Instead, it can emphasize your good judgment and your strength to know when you have too much going on. 

We must not assume that because we are smart and independent we should be able to do it all.  There are just not enough hours in the day, days in the week for us to do everything we set out to do.  It’s okay let someone else help……  Cheers!

In an unsettled economy everyone must develop a brand new attitude to stand out from the competition.  Are you happy with your personal brand?  It’s okay if you’re not, because you can always reinvent your life.  When I think of reinventing I immediately think of transformation into the life you’ve always dreamed about.  If you’re already living that fabulous life, strive to make it even better.  Reinventing your brand will not be easy, however, if you come up with a plan, then execute, you can really have a substantial return.   

Start with a plan, be prepared for opportunities that come your way that support where you are trying to go, be prepared to promote yourself, keep it real, be approachable, tap into your network/social groups, get a mentor, empower your life, honor the process and believe in yourself, make the current state of the economy work for you and be fearless!  Cheers to a brand new you!

There are some things that you simply cannot control.   We often feel the strain of situations over which we have no power.  Best described as a silent killer, stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep problems, obesity and depression, just to name a few.  Instead of putting so much energy by stressing yourself out, try to do things differently.  Start today; make it a priority to eliminate stress from your life.  Believe it or not, it is much easier than you think just take the time to honor yourself! 

Some tips to start eliminating stress from your life daily, take a walk, listen to calming music, exercise, start journaling, start thinking differently.  These are just a few things to get you started in the right direction.  Remember you are too blessed to be stressed!  Cheers

I have a dream, still in 2011.  

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

First of all there is a huge difference in trusting somebody and putting your trust in them.  When you trust someone, you see them is the highest light, believing that no matter what they do, it does not change who they are at the core of their being.  Neither can anything that happens to you change who you are at the core of your being.

When you trust someone it means that you expect them to do what they say and say what they mean.  Trusting in someone usually means that there is something they have that you feel you need, or something you have that you believe they can take from you.

Trust is not something people earn from us.  Nor is it something we give to others who have not proven themselves worthy.  Trust is divine, a given we inherent in our soul.  You either trust or you don’t, there’s no in-between.  Trust that what your heart tells you is true!  You cannot have or maintain any relationship without trust.  Share your comments on “trust” remember you’re helping somebody.  Cheers! 

Once again, yes another year has come.  I don’t know about you, but this has been one of my most challenging years to date.  I can’t complain, and I cannot host a pity party however, to keep it real there were some rough days for a sistah in 2010.  Through it all, I’ve persevered and I am still thanking God for all of my experiences, I realize they have come to make me stronger.  And that I am.  I realize that some of my experiences and the results, were due to poor decision-making on my part, trusting people that did not deserve it, caring about people that didn’t care about me, but I have forgiven myself and despite some of my experiences I know I am still fabulous child of God.

I challenge all of you to get to the place of fabulousness, knowing that you are still worthy, beautiful, gifted, awesome and loved.  You don’t need a co-signer, or someone in your circle or even a family member to confirm this, you just gotta believe in yourself.

Regardless of what happened in 2010 or before this moment in your life, your finest hour is yet to come.  Just think about all the things, experiences and people you have overcome, just think about that for a moment and “rejoice”.  How sweet.  Those things, experiences and people are great preparation anda reflection of the awesome life you live and it’s your for the taking.  Things are far from over or yesterday’s news.  Regardless of what 2010 brought you don’t count yourself out, the best is yet to come.

We cannot go into the New Year with the old mindset; there are absolutely no benefits to that.  Decide today what it is you want from 2011, write it down and meditate on it.  The key to being successful is having a plan of action and being very methodical about bringing it into fruition.

Be purposeful, be fearless, be certain, be precise, be focused and most important be true to you!  The best is yet to come.  Happy New Years!  Cheers to you!

As we embark upon a new year, I see this time as a time of reflection, acceptance and opportunity.  Reflect on the year, accept what we need to accept and look at the wonderful opportunity we have to do things differently or the same (if that worked for you). 

I realize of all the things you can regain in life, time isn’t one of them; once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.  With that said we cannot allow ourselves to be so overly burdened by the past experiences that we cannot appreciate the present and focus and plan for the future ahead of us.

Today is a new and beautiful day we have been blessed to embrace.  Yesterday has passed and tomorrow is uncertain, but if you are reading this you have right now!  So, I ask you, are you ready to embrace 2011, if not the time is now to get ready, get ready, get ready!!!

Cheers to the New Year!

Most of us put significant emphasis on the holidays, jazzed by the holiday lights, decorations that adorn our homes and communities.  It is a time for family & friends to come together, but we must be mindful that there are many people out there who are forced to embrace loneliness or unfortunate situations, while watching the happiness of others from the sidelines, they are sadden by the emptiness they are forced to experience.

We must keep in mind that the holiday seasons are especially lonely for those without family or friends, if you are blessed to spend the holidays with family & friends you truly have a lot to be thankful for.   We cannot get caught up in the giving of gifts or the receiving of gifts, we must remember the many people who have lost jobs and that have been affected by this economic crisis.  If you are in a position to extend a help and hand to someone do so, if you can sponsor a family do so.  Think about someone else and extend a hand in the midst of the joyous time you might be experiencing.  Simply be a blessing to someone else.

Lastly, we must always be mindful of the reason for the Season and that is for me the birth of Christ, and this should be celebrated every day.  Have a blessed and safe holiday.  Cheers!

When we are challenged by others by their suggestions we should not immediately assume its criticism and get upset.  Sometimes people are sharing things with us to help us and sometimes there not.  It’s up to know to know if someone’s suggestions about our life are accurate & helpful.  I often think about people that don’t have the right people given them advice or keeping it real with them.  These are people that continue to make the same mistakes over and over, year after year, and they sit and wonder why they are where they are!  Obviously, you haven’t listened to anyone.  We should be able to listen and accept what we feel is helpful and dismiss the rest.  Thank the person and move on…………………….  We can all be helpers to someone. 

Cheers to listening and applying it when and if necessary!

Have you thought about your personal (self) assets lately?  Have you thought about all the awesome qualities you have?  Take a moment and think about how fabulous you really are.  Don’t wait for someone else to tell you all of your strengths know them for yourself and use them to be a better and stronger you! Pat yourself on the back for just being YOU! 

Having a clear understanding and exercising your strengths are easy ways to improve your happiness.  Finds ways to challenge yourself to new things, this could lift your spirits and bolster your mood. Cheers!