CELEBRATE THE WINS!

-

CELEBRATE THE WINS!  What does that mean exactly?

It means YOU must take the time to celebrate you! 2016 is almost over and some can’t wait! We already hear ...

*  I'm moving on and moving up!
*  It’s time for my greater!
*  2017 is my next!
*  New adventures, greater connections!
*  Adding in new networks and cutting out some fake friends!


WAIT!!! PAUSE!!! STOP!!! BREATH!!!!

Many of these statements may very well be true, but 2016 is still here, right?

I would say stop and smell the roses, but it is the first day of winter and the buds are gone; but even the thorns are reminders of the beauty that was once there.

Being the consummate overachieving, goal oriented, type-A personality that I am, I was recently challenged to do just this. Stop and Celebrate my Wins! 

This year I did have quite a few “wins”, I just had to stop focusing on the thorns.

In 2016, I met and made some wonderful friends through various social media platforms. Just being “Intentional” opened many doors. 

And yes I said “friends".   It IS still okay to have and be friends!

Let me give you counsel in my Grandmother’s voice, 

“Honey, when you hear people say they don’t need friends, or don’t trust in friends, those are individuals that have not healed from the thorns”.  

The challenge with friendships today is that often times they are not built on trust but usury; and we haven't learned to place proper boundaries around our friendships.

In 2016, one week before my 55th birthday I earned an associate’s degree in Religious Studies. This had been a dream of mine for over 25 years, and I forgot to celebrate. I just moved on … no more of that!

In 2016, my reputation preceded me, and I received my largest speaking engagement to date! Through this experience I gained even more “friends”.

In 2016, I established my first 501c3 organization (More to come on this), partnering with some trusted, professional, godly women who are … won’t repeat the f-word. (Wow, when did friend become a dirty word?)

In 2016, after 25 years, I was accepted as an undergrad at Regent University. I just finished my first semester. Hold on while I check my grades …. GPA 3.83! Go me!!!!

Oh, not a cake walk--up at 4:30 am to study, off to work an 8 hour job, home to finish my non-profit paperwork, sleep…what was that? How did I make it these last couple of months? My friends! Those that encouraged me when I didn’t think I could do this, those that listened to me as I read my papers, and specifically those that had to explain what a "rubric" was!

Here is the key on "friendships" --All of the above mentioned are different people! There really is not just one individual that can fill all of these needs.  That is what God is for!

Yes, there were many Wins this year…and there were many thorns. So I guess I shall celebrate both!

I would love to hear about your Wins! Did you stay employed when others were laid off?  Did you restore a broken relationship that you and others thought it could not be restored?  After he left or she left did you survive it? Do you still have a portion, tiny as it may be, of your right mind? Those are all Wins!  I would love to hear about your Wins.

So now, I celebrate YOU! You are also my WIN! Merry Christmas.

Comments

Unknown said…
Wow! This is very challenging, because I generally generalize things that happen to avoid trying to pinpoint which also hinders me from being direct. But I will give it a shot.....In 2016 I began to pursue the things that I love and enjoy instead of waiting to be invited / involved with others who were likeminded. In 2016 I had my first sock line created and manufactured in which was a giant leap of faith. I'm sure that there are other wins that I will think about later. Thank you for sharing the Awareness of Self! You Rock CourageousMi!!
December 22, 2016 at 8:08 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do you know your WHY?

-
Image
This is not just a catchphrase for the next, “Tens Steps to a Better You!” conference!  Knowing your "Why" is Critical !   Why are you doing what you do?  Why are you working at “that job” ? And please don’t say for money! Why are you an entrepreneur?   Why do you spend so much time at the gym?  Why did you choose to serve in ministry? What is your Why?  Is your Why or your actions stuck behind the dreadful:  “I should”,  "they are expecting me to”,  “If I don’t do it then who will?”    How about this one, “It brings me satisfaction”!   Well, that sounds like a good reason, doesn’t it?  No, it is not!   Because when the satisfaction runs out; when it becomes too much trouble to maintain or you realize it was a temporary placebo... you will give it up!  Now you have lost the one thing in life you will NEVER get back. TIME! Time is the most precious commodity you have. Don’t was...
Read more

An Open Letter to My Mother - Revised 2-21

-
Image
Mom, it has been 15 years since you passed on to glory, and this year it feels like yesterday.  I still reach for the phone to call you about a new restaurant, a new outfit, and your new great-granddaughters. This world is so different now.  Of the many things I miss,  your counsel is at the top.  There is so much rage in the hearts of people. As a nurse, you worked for over 30 years in the mental health profession.  I remember you often said, if the government did not address mental health in America we be looking at a total breakdown of society.  Mom, we have mass killings in movie theaters, nightclubs, and even elementary schools.  The first question asked, “Was it a hate crime?” Well it wasn't love! This world is so different now.  There is this thing the young women are always talking about: Haters/Hating.  I don't understand it; I didn't grow up seeing this.  I remember Aunt Martha, Mrs.Snow, Mrs. Ivey, and your friend of o...
Read more

Wounded Woman Warriors

-
Image
My favorite action movie of all time is ‘Rambo 1 st Blood’ .   Rambo was some kind of warrior!  One that they had never encountered before.   What I remembered the most, this warrior was in the fight of his life, not because he decided he had an enemy, but they decided “he” was their enemy! He became wounded so many times during this fight, yet he could only stop long enough to stitch up his own wounds.   Far from being healed,  he knew he had to find a safe place to stitched himself up long enough to fight another day! Women, once a month we have a experience be it moderate or severe how to physically and emotionally “endure”, “manage” or "ignore" PAIN. It is just how we are created. "Wounded Women Warriors” , I must say there is a time we must come in from the battle.  Not just to stitch up your wounds, but it is time to really heal.     Why is this so critical?  Because many of us are in active ministries, vocations or leading...
Read more