tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12402993763971216052024-03-19T02:00:58.146-07:00stillLearningLifestyle BlogStillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-45090795041761501042018-05-03T18:53:00.002-07:002018-05-03T18:56:21.810-07:00Lebron Moves<br />
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Hey Everyone! How are you all doing? It has been awhile, but I thought I would jump on here and drop some gems real quick. It's NBA Playoffs time and it has been overwhelmingly exciting to watch these games because there are a lot of underdog teams who have made it. Even though I am not a particular fan of any team, I have to say I do admire Cleveland making the playoffs every year despite all odds. Of course they have an outstanding leader that is working very hard to carry his team on his back. Do I need to say his name if it's already within the title?<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself. - Lebron James</span></i><br />
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You've got it! I am talking about the King himself....LEBRON! I actually think that he cries a lot of the time about useless fouls, but I'm not even going to go there. Today I would like to talk about how I admire his leader role he has taken on for his team. Let's think about this for a minute. Cleveland is not as glamorous as Miami by far! For those of you not hip to basketball, Lebron left playing basketball in Miami to go to play in Cleveland. Cleveland is his hometown and he also took a pay cut in order for him to play there.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I make impact plays. I make game-changing plays. LeBron James</span></i></span><br />
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From my perspective I believe Lebron felt that there was some unfinished business in his hometown. This had to be hard for him to move back to a town that was heartbroken when he left as if he cheated on a longtime love. In his heart he knew that he had to go back to Cleveland to fulfill a life long dream that he probably has had since a kid. I can relate to the move that Lebron did that shocked the world around him and outside of him.<br />
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I am originally from Virginia, but my father took a job transfer to a place called Binghamton, NY when I was the fresh age of 2. We left a nice subdivision cookie cutter home and moved to a place famously known as the twilight zone. My father in polite terms highly disliked this place and being that there was a bar on every corner, it did not help with his liking of alcohol aka addiction. We ended up moving back to Virginia after some of our poorest years to get back to our roots. Fast forward years later I found myself moving back to Binghamton, NY at the age of 25. This is what you call an upset in the NBA Playoffs. A move that no one expected to be played by me.<br />
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This move was a shocking move to the world around me and like Lebron I felt there was some unfinished business that needed attention. You see when I left New York when I was eleven I felt that I left a part of me there. That part of me was my artistic capability which was part of my soul. Even though I didn't want to move from the nice lifestyle as well as nice weather, God was waiting for me to make some Lebron moves. By moving back I found treasures within myself, treasures that I can relay to as skills, gifts, etc.<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You know, God gave me a gift to do other things besides play the game of basketball. - Lebron James</span></i><br />
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The move helped me stumble upon skills such as leadership in which I had not paid attention to because I never searched for them. My move helped me find myself and it allowed God to show his favor upon my life. It was almost as if I had made it to the playoffs once I unlocked the skills and gifts that were inside of me. Ever since then I have felt that I continuously work toward the championship goal each year. I make goals for myself to where I am shooting at least 40 points every chance I get whether its Art Showcases or posting on Social Media. I am currently living my best life because the actions I have disciplined myself in.<br />
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My advice to my readers is that you and I have to make Lebron moves even in the midst of adversity. The weather is barely sunny in Binghamton, NY, but guess what I still make Lebron moves. I may not have a reliable team surrounding me, but I still make Lebron moves. Do you understand the pattern of this? I including you watch Lebron every year work his butt off to get to the Playoffs with a team that is so so within a city that has been forgotten outside of sports. What moves can you make within your life to make an impact in the world? Challenge yourself to make game-changing moves for the ones around you to witness. Do you find yourself blaming things such as where you live or what car you drive on not living your full potential? People may not always like you, but they will respect the moves you make at the end of the day.<br />
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Peep the Video below and hopefully you are inspired......Enjoy!!!<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-85963028416978623022017-11-06T10:04:00.000-08:002017-11-06T10:04:43.003-08:00Does REPresentation matter?<br />
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<span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Today is Monday November 6, 2017 and before my caffeine high goes away, I figured I would birth out another Blog Post. How is everyone doing today? Are you all excited for what the day may bring, or matter of fact what this whole week will bring? Today I would like</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to write</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> about representation and some other motivational and inspira</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">tional stuff! Being a black woma</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">n in today’s society is quite challenging to say the least, but in a good way. I</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> have learned how to </span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">consciously pay</span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> attention to how I represent myself and also my culture. </span><br />
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 31.200000762939453px;"><b>“Growth is the only evidence of life.” – John Henry Newman</b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When I speak of culture I don’t mean just black, but I mean culture of women, culture of entrepreneurs, etc. All of these attributes make up the person who I am right</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> this moment, on this very day. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I would hope that you, the reader, would not just base </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">your representation upon your skin color only. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Your skin color is a small portion of who you are regardless of the media magnifying a culture of racism </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">consistently</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When we look at the verb definition of the word culture within the dictionary, it says maintain (ytissue cells, bacteria, etc.) in conditions suitable for growth. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">With that being said we have to find spaces that are suitable for us to maintain and grow. We have to be realistic and not try to reach for everything all at once. Once we have too much on our plate we will not be able to represent ourselves in a healthy manor. For example Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites are filled with stressed and frustrated people who like to express and represent themselves by posting negativity. If those people would like to start a business or something that they would like people to support, guess what will happen? Strangers w</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ill begin to scroll through </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">their</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> sites and see who they are based off of their </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">post</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 31.200000762939453px;"><b>“If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” – John Maxwell</b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We are no longer able to get away with doing anything, saying anything, a</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">nd looking like anything</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Everything seems to be front and center also known as lights, camera, and action. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">No</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">w I know some people will say to themselves that they do not want to be fake because</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> that’s just who they are. S</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">orry to tell you some changes need to be made</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> in order for us to grow</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> What direction should grow in you ask? Remember the plants that we used to have to grow within the Ziploc bags when we were in elementary school. This was an experiment to see which</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> plant sprouted</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> faster with or without the sun. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our focus should be to position ourselves towards the sun and not towards the darkness. If you haven’t noticed, plants to not grow properly without sun</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> The climate is rich with knowledge pertaining to how we are</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> able to maintain our character, it is also rich with access to the information we may need to start new ventures. Since today is Motivation Monday, according to Twitter, let us not waste the day that has been given to us. Instead let us work on placing ourselves in a position to not only grow, but to work on our representation of ourselves. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 31.200000762939453px;"><b>“ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;” 2 Corinthians 9:10 </b></span></div>
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<b>In the clip below watch Michelle Obama address the judgment of being an “Angry Black Woman”. Enjoy and Happy Monday!!</b></div>
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-14555097455930913072017-10-01T11:56:00.000-07:002017-10-01T11:56:22.406-07:00Stop the Violence, no more silence. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hola Everyone! Today is October 1st and it’s officially my birthday month! It is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month which is an issue I’ve been through before. With that being said I decided to start this month off by sharing my story of Domestic Violence Abuse. This story is not a story that I try to use to make people look at me with oohs and ahhs, but it is a reminder of how God’s hand has been placed upon my life in order to protect me.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the "Day of Unity" held in October 1981 and conceived by the </span><a href="http://www.ncadv.org/" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e76bc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">National Coalition Against Domestic Violence</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.” - www.nrcdv.org</span><br />
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I was 19 years old when I met this guy we’re going to call Joseph. Joseph had been introduced to me through a friend and he seemed pretty cool. We had started to take a liking to each other so I figured that since I was single we could start a friendship that could have led to dating. In the beginning there were no red flags or signs of anything wrong. I was trusting the opinion of my friend so I was oblivious to what was to come.<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">“I was trusting the opinion of my friend so I was oblivious to what was to come.“</span></i></b><br />
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It had only been a couple of weeks into knowing Joseph and looking back now, there were signs that lead to something deep and dark that was going on with this person. When we went on dates we never went anywhere he lived. He always seemed paranoid and looking over his shoulder as well as into his surroundings a little bit further than usual. He also didn’t talk about his parents or lived with them at the time being. Little did I know I had walked right into a trap. It was not a good situation he had going on prior to meeting me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>“ Little did I know I had walked right into a trap.”</i></b></span><br />
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Regardless I went along with having “fun” and continued to talk to him. One particular night it turned for the worst. I had went out with some friends earlier that day and my phone had went dead. I figured since I wasn’t able to talk to him all day I would just stop by anyway unannounced. When I arrived to his house he didn’t seem pleased and was upset, but I didn’t think nothing of it. So he proceeds to say let’s go to his room and hang out.<br />
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Once again, me not thinking I went and followed him up the stairs because I knew he couldn’t be possibly mad at me. When we got to the room I was thirsty so I put my purse and phone down and went downstairs and grabbed a cup of juice. When I came back upstairs he had closed the door. As I was drinking my juice he asked me who told me I could go get a cup of juice? I just looked and laughed at him while brushing it off as if it was nothing. He asked me the same question again, but this time the tone was more aggressive.<br />
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Long story short, he locks the room door and proceeds to start trying to choke me. Somehow I got from under his grip and tried to grab my keys and leave. He chased me and threw me on the bed face first. At this point I didn’t know if I was going to get raped, live, or die. Never in a million years could I imagine myself in a situation like this since I was just having “fun”. I ended up being able to get out of the house but he was still chasing me.<br />
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<b>According to <a href="https://ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics">https://ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics</a></b><br />
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have behhen victims of [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.</span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #cdb6ed; font-size: 1.75rem; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.33s ease;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13.125px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span></a></b></li>
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He ended up wrapping my ponytail up in his hand and hitting me with a closed fist on my head couple times. There were a few people outside witnessing this and finally proceeded to get him off of me by putting me in my car with my personal belongings. I was in complete shock while crying and sobbing. The witnesses told me while whispering to not come back. By the grace of God I had a friend that lived up the street that I went to church with and I was able to stay at her parents for the night.<br />
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There’s A LOT more to this story, but my so called fun ended up making me date a guy who was a criminal and a womanizer. This incident lead him to be found by the police because he had a search warrant out for his arrest for a prior incident. I’m telling this story to make sure that more females wake up to what Domestic Violence truly means. It’s not always within the home and it could happen<br />
to ANYBODY! I survived that one incident, but there are people who live in this turmoil daily! Please watch the story of Leslie Morgan Steiner during her TED Talks Video. Her story is truly amazing and I hope both of these bring insight to such a heavy topic.... Enjoy!<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-80647946860810964902017-09-19T20:09:00.001-07:002017-09-19T20:09:40.473-07:00What Kyrie taught me<br />
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I always have allowed people get in the way of what I truly wanted for myself within my life. It was the silent persuasion, the constant opinion based advice, and the never ending doubt. Until one day it finally clicked for me, it finally clicked that I wasn't being myself. I was not making decisions that were making me truly happy. I was allowing everyone and their opinions to overshadow decisions that should've came automatically.<br />
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Recently I was feeling down about a particular situation that I felt bad for walking away from. I had people say to me that it was a good opportunity, but in my gut I knew by me deciding to walk away would benefit me more than if I would've stayed. Watching the Kyrie Irving interview the other day on Firsr Take helped me realize a few things.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">1. I have to believe in myself no matter what it cost.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2. Everything that seems good for me, may be damaging my true self.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">3. Make decisions that benefit you, and you only. </span></b><br />
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Clearly everyone felt that Kyrie shouldn't have made the decision to leave the Cavaliers for the Celtics, but he made the decision anyway. It taught me that although I didn't decide to go with the popular choice, I was able to create my own path that worked out for the better. I remember one day so vividly while getting dressed God told me I was not going to be popular the rest of this year. I was shocked because it was something that didn't feel good to hear. That resignated with me for a couple days.<br />
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Soon after that things started happening that referred back to what God had told me. As I watch the slander that comes towards Kyrie for his decision and how he stands by it makes me feel better with my decision. No one can determine your future, but you. Lebron did not need to make a decision for Kyrie that he was capable of making for himself. At the end of the day make the decisions that are going to benefit you in the end.<br />
<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-88605615326373188422017-09-04T08:44:00.001-07:002017-09-04T08:44:19.482-07:00woMAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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woMAN</div>
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Woman you are the rib.</div>
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Woman you are the verse to his ad lib.</div>
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Woman you are beautiful.</div>
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The heart of a woman should make a man's heart pull.</div>
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You are created by God mixed with heart, passion, and soul.</div>
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When a man finds you he sees you as gold.</div>
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A woman helps make the world go round'</div>
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When a woman is in labor do you ever pay attention to her sounds?</div>
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That's the sound of strength.</div>
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That's the sound of length, the length of the journey that carried her to this joyous time. </div>
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She will never admit that sometimes it feels as if loving you is a crime.</div>
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You see that woman is smart, and even though she may feel uneasy, it's never to late for her to start.</div>
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We are all that woman, just take the time to look and see.</div>
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Because that woman could very well be me.</div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-37571190993815956932017-07-09T12:45:00.000-07:002017-07-09T18:20:27.680-07:00GEMnastics 💎 <div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.sf ui text'; line-height: normal;">
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Hello everyone! I have decided to dust the cobwebs off my blog and get back into this thing!!! Today I would like for my readers to focus on "Balance" ...balance in life is more of a healing aspect. When we are off balance we do not grow in life effectively. Balance is also the foundationary skill needed in Gymnastics.</div>
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When gymnasts are on a balance beam, there's a high chance that they can slip and fall. As you’re watching them perform their routine, they tend to shut everyone else out and focus on achieving the perfect score. This is the same perspective I use when it comes my life. I have to stay focused on on flipping, jumping, bending, etc., all while continuing to balance on my “beam”. Life has a way of frequently throwing us curveballs, to the point that we’ll have to flip, jump, and bend, in order to dodge these things.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Often those that criticize others reveal what he himself lacks." -</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Shannon L. Alder</span></b><br />
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Expect both the positive and negative in the world because they are both alive and well. In order to have balance in anything you do in life you have a little bit of both. There will be a good influence and there will be a bad influence, but at the end of the day people are still being influenced nonetheless. </div>
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When Gabby Douglas won her Gold Medals in the 2012 Olympics, people only focused on how her hair was not done to their standards. </div>
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Why would they focus on something that's so minor, to such a major goal?<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">People will sometimes find the negatives about you, just to make themselves feel comfortable with their reason for not liking you. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17px;"> Instead of realizing how much work it took for her and the other team members to win gold medals, her achievement was being discredited due to other people’s jealousy and small-mindedness. Not everyone is going to be happy that they are influenced by you. They know you possess something that could possibly fill a void inside of them, but because it's coming from you, - the competition - they reject it. </span><br />
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We all should be working together, sharpening each other. In life you can gain something from every encounter you have with someone, in order to shape the person you’re becoming on your journey. </div>
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When you allow jealousy to consume you, not only can it blind you from a mental standpoint, it can also interrupt your spiritual growth, and block you from reaching new levels on this journey we call life.</div>
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Check out the video below for some more GEMSTONES:</div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-44729864019818270762017-04-25T08:53:00.000-07:002017-04-25T08:53:26.288-07:00Lazy Christians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What’s up people? So this is a topic that I have been resisting talking about on my blog because for one it can be potentially be offensive if you don’t read with an open mind. Have you ever thought about how much demand you put on God daily? Sometimes within my prayers I have to recognize and be cautious of how much I’m asking for versus how much I am returning to God. There are many thoughts and questions that I have when I see my fellow peers hoping and praying for certain things which are majority of the time material. Not to say that is bad, but I constantly try to do a self-evaluation for myself to know my limits.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Do you ever sit back and reflect at how lazy you may be when it comes to having a relationship with God?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Now you may be reading this and thinking that this is not for you, and if it isn’t then you can read for pure enjoyment. I think to myself and sometimes and think why I feel God HAS to do this or that for me. The biggest reality check is that he DOES NOT have to do anything for me, he can stop all the blessings at any moment at any time. Even when we don’t deserve any of his love, he is still there and loves us as usual without skipping a beat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">My life for the past couple of months has been about learning to come to him not only about what I need from him, but what does he need from me. Seeking the full examination of my life has led me to build up the courage to tackle the goals I have for myself. For me it is about meeting God in the middle so that he can not only change my surroundings, but to change what is within me. You see we as people can’t be lazy with our relationship with God. If we want to get to a certain level in life no matter where or what that may be there has to be effort put in. People don’t get promotions by just sitting or standing on the sideline wishing and wanting to be in another place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Proverbs 10:4 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Sleep and rest is vital for our bodies so that should be thrown in the mix as well. All I am saying is that God is not a Genie in a bottle because things are not going to happen the time that you would like them to. Sometimes it takes years for things to come to pass that God has for you and I’m a living testimony for that as well as others in my circle. The key is to stay consistent, faithful and keep up the good work. Eventually you will look back and realize all the work you put in had a purpose. Stay Faithful and keep your prayers up always! Good Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">For MOTIVATION purposes check the video below “How to Take Your Life to Next Level” by Trent Shelton<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-87032887026205085992017-04-23T21:04:00.004-07:002017-04-23T21:06:08.519-07:00It's EASY to Fall in Love, but Committing takes work.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone! Its Sunday night and others including myself are dreading Monday to come knocking at our door due to the weekend being over in seconds. I decided to blow the dust off my blog and get back into the groove of things. Being that I can't sleep I figured I'll catch up with you all and use this time as a Theraputic release. Side bar my blog has had over 3,000 reads/views!!! Thank you everyone who takes the time to read the thoughts of little ole me, I really APPRECIATE it.<br />
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Now that I have said my future Awards speech, I wanted to talk a little about the act of falling in love. All of us fall in love within our lifetime and the act of falling seems to happen very fast. The key word here is falling so hopefully you get my drift. According to https://www.illicitencounters.com/ a british dating site for married people, they surveyed 1,000 people and found that 55 percent of the group fell in love between the ages of 15 and 18 years of age. That's over half of the percentage out of small group of people so imagine millions!<br />
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If we are falling in love with a person at such an early age why does it take us so long to fall in love with our purpose? We tend to form a commitment to another human faster than we do to our future. Having a commitment to our purpose takes WORK and it's not easy to always feel like wanting to actually commit to what we want in our lives. There's fear, doubt, opinions of others, self hatred, and many other negative emotions that get in the way.<br />
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<span class="exdous" style="border: 0px; color: #23221f; display: block; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto;"><b style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #39547f; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Deuteronomy/13/4" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #39547f; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out;">Deuteronomy 13:4</a></span></i></b></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.</span></i></b></div>
If we start to fall in love with our purpose just as fast as we do with humans I believe it would help us dive into God's plans for our lives quicker. I've said this before and I'll say it again, there are multiple leaps of faith that has to take place when we are walking within our purpose. Falling in love with our purpose is the easy part, but the commitment will make us feel like we want to give up sometimes.<br />
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Below are steps that I believe and go by daily:<br />
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<b><i>1. Have FAITH! - A strong belief in God that will carry you through no matter the circumstances.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>2. BELIEVE - We have to BELIEVE that God's Plan WILL take place within our lives. We have to BELIEVE in GOD first, and BELIEVE in ourselves afterwards.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>3. TRUST - Trust in the plans God has for your life and trust the relationship between you and God.</i></b><br />
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Isn't it AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL that we always have an open form of communication with God also known as the act of Praying. I pray that my readers learn to pray and ask God for anything and everything they need in life with boldness and much courage! It takes much commitment to take your purpose and run with it, but in the end you'll realize the love that God has for you and fall in love with him and your purpose even more.<br />
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Check the video below from Steven Furtick - Put your Passion in its Place for encouragement and motivation! 😃<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-83578239894354775972017-03-23T06:35:00.001-07:002017-03-23T06:35:49.649-07:00The American Dream<br />
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It was all a dream I used to read Word Up! Magazine....Well not really, but I did read magazines and wish that I could succeed to be just like the people I would scan the pages to see. What I seen in the magazines, television, etc. literally looked as if the lifestyle was untouchable and what everyone should want for themselves. I didn't realize that wanting what others have could be detrimental to my future if I didn't pay attention to the Dream I had for myself. I eventually learned to not set myself up for failure trying to live someone else's American Dream.<br />
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What is the American Dream? The definition seems to be after high school go to college, get your ideal job after, get married, and buy a house. My American Dream has been more nightmares in a sense because it hasn't always went in this order. Majority of the time the peers around us tend to put pressure on us without even noticing. We can start to look around and see what everyone else is doing, but questioning what WE ARE supposed to do. Planning seems to be overrated these days, but all in all there is still a course that needs to be followed and that's God's plan for YOU and only YOU.<br />
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I was reminded recently that I had fell off track and forgot my soul purpose of being on earth. Every now and then I get distracted and side tracked from the dream that God has planned out for me. I only knew this because I started to feel as if the world was caving in on me and felt like I needed some time to myself. What also has been brought to my attention is me losing track of who's the center of my life and why I have a purpose in the first place. This may seem a bit shocking, but I don't always stay the course like I'm supposed to because I'm human and that's just what humans do sometimes.<br />
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The great thing about my relationship with God is that he forgives me before I even ask for forgiveness. He's waiting right there when I don't necessarily always turn to him. God is the only one that has created a dream that was specifically made for me. I have to remind myself of this constantly because it could feel as if everyone is moving ahead while I stay stagnant. In reality I'm not being stagnant it's just called Gods timing.<br />
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We could be so caught up with not being caught up with others that we hold ourselves back from working in our true purpose. All of our American Dreams differ because all of our paths are not supposed to be the same. What's meant for you is for you and not others. Learn to block the distractions of television and social media and learn to feed your soul with food it wants and needs. Just remember don't be so busy chasing the American Dream that you forget what your reality is supposed to be. Stay prayed up and keep the faith.<br />
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Check out this AMAZING clip from Zig Ziglar speaking about DREAMS! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-54592905094265973182017-03-06T04:26:00.001-08:002017-03-06T04:32:32.437-08:00Pain always brings Gifts<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ephesians 5:8-10 NKJV</span></b><br />
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Pain is something that we all have to deal with no matter how much we may try to dodge it. Pain can sometimes feel like it's waiting right around the corner for us to be in a good space. Have you ever heard the saying "every time I turn around it's always something"? I can relate to pain in a lot of ways because I have been through so much in this short lifetime. But I have also learned that the pain I've went through has always brought me gifts.<br />
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When I was younger I always was able to use writing, drawing, and reading to help me forget about what I was going through or what my family was going through. As life kept moving ahead I formed a habit of expressing myself through dark times, and dark times are still relevant today. It may look like it's easy for me to create or write a blog, but there is much test, trials, and tribulations that come before to bring creativity of me. I don't just create things cause I'm bored, or want to make money, I create because it heals my heart, mind, and soul. I would also hope that it can heal others heart, mind, and soul when they look at what I created originally to help me.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!”</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Psalms 100:1 NKJV</span></b><br />
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Any form of Art to me is like making a joyful shout to the Lord in my own way. It takes me to another place where there is no pain and I simply enJOY it. There was a time that I pushed this joy to the side because I was trying to be a so called adult and not childish. Ironically I had to reach back to my childhood to see what used to give me joy during difficult times. Art has repaired my heart in many ways of course with God's help. God doesn't always want us to be deep and try to please him with major things, he simply just wants us to be ourselves by using our gifts.<br />
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God gives us trials and tribulations so we can know what our gifts are to get through the darkness. The journey that I continue to be on sometimes feels like there is no light coming anytime soon. Then when I think about what I have discovered within myself because of the darkness, I become more grateful. This life is not meant to be easy and everything is not going to drop in your lap right away. There is much preparation that has to take place to make us all tough. When there is pain just know that there are gifts coming directly after. Have a blessed day!<br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. Francis Bacon </b></span></span><br />
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Check out some <b><u>motivation</u></b> below from one of my favorite movies Remember the Titans!<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-88820761167926328462017-02-06T04:24:00.000-08:002017-02-06T04:24:31.643-08:00Life after Death<br />
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Hey there everyone! Long time no blogging, but today I wanted to talk about a heavy topic that has became a peaceful one for me. Excuse any typos by the way! 😂 As all of you know I am a mother and have been almost for 3 years now in which I can't believe it! I became a mother at the ripe age of 24 and during this time it didn't seem like it was perfect timing. My father had became ill a couple years before hand and was almost at the end of the road of his illness once I had found out I was pregnant.<br />
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With that being said I had to leave my beloved apartment behind and move in with my parents in order to take care of my father with my mother and sister. We were all very stressed trying to figure out our schedules to make sure he wasn't lacking the attention he needed. Of course I did not want to add to the stress of telling my mom that I was pregnant, but I felt that she needed to know right away. I ended up breaking the news to her at the Chinese buffet out of all places. She wasn't too pleased, but started to become excited as time went by. Little did we know what the future held ahead of us.<br />
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The next nine months would be the most stressful months of my life. My father would end up passing away in my fifth month of pregnancy. I remember praying to God and asking him to prepare me for what was about to take place with my father cause I didn't know if I was strong enough. He gave me a vision of speaking at my fathers funeral that same day. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I had to accept what was taking place. After being what I felt was numb during the planning process of my dads funeral, I came to the realization that I wasn't numb.<br />
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God actually gave me the grace and mercy that I asked him for to carry me through this difficult. I ended speaking at my fathers funeral and I was hoping the message got across to the audience. In summary I was stating to keep in touch with your love ones before it's too late. Before my father passed he was the first one to say I was having a boy. A couple months later I ended having a son named Legend. He came at the perfect time for us, it was almost like God giving us gift in return for the hell we went through the months before.<br />
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Legend was the medicine that everyone needed when he came. He brought much happiness and joy so we would all be able to move on. Legend has a lot of my fathers character by continuing to make us laugh. I miss my Father tremendously, but during the time of his passing I learned a valuable lesson. There is life after death and if you are a reader of my blog I want you to know that everything happens for a reason. Just because my father is no longer here does not mean I have to stay in misery and not continue to live. I chose to live within his honor because I knew he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I hope this helps someone in some way, have a blessed day!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-3-16/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="John 3:16">John 3:16</a></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.</span></b></span>StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-37976457185473336662017-01-21T04:18:00.002-08:002017-01-21T04:21:15.034-08:00Loyalty left me broke.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good morning everyone! It is finally Saturday and we are officially within the weekend! Today I want to talk about loyalty, yes you all loyalty. I've seen the word loyalty used more than ever recently and I started to question my loyalty to my peers. The definition of loyalty is having a strong feeling of support or allegiance. Of course we all have people that we are genuily loyal to without a doubt, but are we loyal to the right ones? Do we really know what loyalty consists of?<br />
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I don't have a great past with loyalty because it's left me broken majority of the time. I tend to get mixed up in what I call trying to please everyone, but myself without knowing how much damage is<br />
being done. People come and go, but when I started to realize who I was supposed to be loyal to all along my life started changing for the better. In this blog I talk about God a lot and you guessed it, he is the one I had to start being loyal to. With his help <span style="background-color: white;">I started to learn </span>what being loyal to myself meant as well.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">—JOHN 15:5”</span></b><br />
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We cannot do nothing without God! We might think we can because we don't feel the effects right away. When I started being loyal to people, I forgot to have a relationship with God. Sometimes people are loyal to a places or things, but we can't forget to be loyal to the person that created, the one that knows us inside and out. As the scripture states above, whoever lives in God bears much (abundant) fruit. My downfall of being loyal to the wrong people made my Fruit spoil.<br />
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People are always going to let us down throughout our lives, it's just a given. We that are still on this earth have to learn how to be loyal to God first and yourselves after. What do I mean by this? We have to stop putting people, places and things on false pedi stools. Once we start doing that it becomes a form of idolatry and our God is a pretty jealous God. As far as being loyal to ourselves, that comes with making sure we are good mentally, emotionally, and physically first before we others with these.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>'You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 26:1</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you ever heard someone say that they've been treated bad by a person that they've been loyal to? That's because we tend to put too much energy into keeping a person close to us. We probably shouldn't be loyal to that person in the first place. We have to start praying for people to come in our lives that are going to be just as loyal as we are to them. I've been burned plenty of times by people who I was close with, but I'm grateful for those experiences. They taught me how much loyalty I was actually giving people before I got a chance to know them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What to be loyal to is still a learning process and honestly I probably won't ever get it down to a science, but I will try my hardest to work on it. I'm tired of seeing my peers be loyal to the wrong people, to the wrong places, and to the wrong things. Don't worry about looking cool to others or trying to follow what everyone else is following. Loyalty is not a bad thing, but put God first, be yourself, and stay loyal to who you really are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Check the video below</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trent Shelton -</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Realtionships/Loyalty is Rare</span></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-31190019765644731102017-01-16T16:44:00.001-08:002017-01-16T16:47:39.233-08:00My Dream turned into a Nightmare<br />
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As I sit here reflecting upon another Martin Luther King day I have mixed emotions. The first emotion is grateful for his legacy that carries on within most people's lives from day to day. My second emotion would be sadness because the dream that Martin Luther King had is starting to become a nightmare within America. I sit here wondering am I really fulfilling the dream that he spoke about in 1963 during his Civil Rights Speech in Washington, DC?<br />
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As we prepare for our President Barack Obama to leave office as we inaugurate our future President Donald Trump, there seems to be much fear and uncertainty. There are a lot of questions and there are a lot of the unknown circumstances awaiting as time continues to speed past us. The question that I have for my readers is do you feel as if there is such a thing as the American Dream? If you ask me what that answer is I would say no.<br />
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Everyone has their own perception and illusion of what they feel the American Dream really is. Some believe it's having a nice job, home, and car. Some probably feel that starting a family and being able to provide for them is the American Dream. Different strokes for different folks I guess, but when I really think about it there needs to be more work done to fulfill the dream Martin Luther King had for this country. I wonder if the Dream was more hope based or was it what Martin Luther King truly believed in his heart.<br />
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54 years later we have had a half African and Caucasian President with an African American First Lady! I have to say that this probably made former slave owners role over in their graves let alone made ones who didn't believe start to believe again. But even after all of these great moments we've had there still was tragedy that took place within the years of Obama's presidency. Honestly I would rather not run down that long list, but we all know and feel racial tension is at an all time high and there is tension between everyone more than ever.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b>"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King, Jr.</b></span></span><br />
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If this dream was something that Martin Luther King felt compelled to say on the capital then that only means that it was meant more than just a day off from work. When we have such profound visions and dreams this means God is telling us to meet him in the middle to work for what he wants you to bring to pass. Martin Luther King's dream was so big that it wasn't just for him to work at alone. It was for all of us to come together as one to work for. God just so happened to choose Martin Luther King to bring forth to the public what that exact dream was.<br />
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I start to ask myself am I upholding the part of he dream I'm supposed to be working towards? Am I content with how America is today and would rather not even bother? As I get older I start to realize that the dream that Martin Luther King had for all of us is not a joke and it is not something that will fall in our laps. We have to work in order to make this dream come true, just like with any other dream that we have for ourselves. Today I can only hope that I am not only fulfilling my dreams, but fulfilling the ones that the former civil rights leaders marched for.<br />
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Fun fact: My son Legend was born on August 28th the same date Martin Luther King gave his now famous I have a dream Speech.<br />
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Check out the link below for the full I have a dream Speech......<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-10482907926181269532017-01-14T05:06:00.000-08:002017-01-14T05:21:24.244-08:00Competition Everywhere!!! <br />
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It's a Saturday morning and I am currently in Virginia awaiting to instruct a HUGE paint party later on this beautiful day! I'm not sure why I'm up so early? Oh yea my son actually woke me up out of my sleep for some good ole juice. (The joys of Motherhood) I haven't had my coffee either by the way so let's see how many grammar corrections you all can count! Anyway the topic of this blog today is Competition, yes competition *sigh*. We can act as if we don't see it or notice that it's going on, but there seems to be a whole epidemic going on with my fellow colleagues around me and with ones I don't know.<br />
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During the times we are in now there is a need to one up everyone around us. It almost feels like more and more people are awakening to a sense of who they "really" are and investing in what their beliefs are per say. This morning I became curious as I scrolled through my Facebook and Instagram, and I wondered how many people actually feel as if they have to compete not only with strangers, but people that they know and are close to. Thanks to social media I feel sometimes my generation can be materialistic because of what we are always seeing from others.<br />
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<b>“<span style="font-size: large;">For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Galatians 6:3 NKJV</span></b><br />
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Have you ever been so hungry that you ate yourself to the point of being miserable? That's how your eyes can deceive you, they were bigger than your belly. Same thing happens with social media, your eyes sometimes are way bigger than your brain can handle. It almost can make you feel like you can do what someone else is doing. Once you start trying to be something your not, you end up miserable. Before you go down that rabbit hole really seek God in deep mediation to see what's for you and what's not for you.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Proverbs 27:17 NKJV</span></b><br />
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We should not be competing with our friends and family to see who graduated college first, who gets married first, who has kids first, or who has the biggest house, etc. Real friends take the time to see if they can help you in any way possible with the race that your running. They may not be able to run beside you all the time, but you know they got your back. As the scripture states above, iron sharpens iron.<br />
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At the end of the day we all need a little bit of Competiton around us to inspire us to go "harder" for our goals and dreams. There is also a time to compete and then there's a time to be genuinely happy for our peers and not try to do what they're doing if it's not our lane. When I spend time with God he exposes when I am trying to compete in an unhealthy manor. He also exposes if me wanting to compete is actually a form of jealousy or not. I thank God that he exposes the good, bad, and ugly in me for me to try to correct.<br />
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<b>There are three things that I remind myself of every time I step outside of what my goals are.</b><br />
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1. <b>Focus</b> - I can't allow myself to look at what's on my left or right for too long. I have to keep my eyes on my prize.<br />
<b>2. Get rid of distractions</b> - I take breaks from social media every now and then to regroup and detoxify my mind<br />
3. <b>Godfidence</b> - A couple of affirmations in the morning that I read to myself out loud after prayer<br />
and devotion helps tremendously! I have to know who I am in God so I won't feel like I'm less than or beneath someone. God created only one me and my journey is to find what his purpose is for me on earth.<br />
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Please take the time to focus on yourself today......Happy Saturday! Check out the bonus clip below of Zig Ziglar speaking about Evaluating where you are...Enjoy!<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-23916711672460658802017-01-09T19:07:00.001-08:002017-01-09T20:30:43.760-08:00My name is not Negro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 33.733333587646484px;">Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Okay so there has been A LOT of awesome things that I have been planning and working on for myself within this New Year. I am very excited about what is to come and I have been really feeling a different level of inspiration lately. The other day I was listening to an interview on the infamous Breakfast Club with Political Commentator Angela Rye mostly known for being on CNN. During the interview she was discussing everything from Trump to what solutions black and brown people need in order to get their communities in order. I have copied the YouTube link below in order for you to check this GREAT interview out for yourselves!!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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What stood out to me during the interview was when she explained that we should take the time to focus on our foundation as a country and focus repairing it. With Trump coming into office soon, there has been a lot of talk about race and racism. I felt empowered and ready to run for any political position that I can help change the world with after watching the whole interview. I started to think about how passionate I am when it comes to my race. Let’s face it racism is real and it will most likely always exist within my lifetime. It is a topic that makes everyone uncomfortable and majority of the time leads to anger. Believe it or not politics runs in my blood somewhat due to my Grandfather being the first black councilman in Warrenton, Virginia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 33.733333587646484px;">“Racism is a blight on the human conscience.” – Nelson Mandela<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Growing up in Warrenton for my Grandfather wasn’t always peachy, matter of fact it was in the thick of segregation. I’m sure he was faced with racism every day without being able to escape because it was very much alive and well within the 1930’s. By the grace of God he was still able to overcome all of the cruelties of racism and ironically ended up being a representation for the town later on in his life. Warrenton, Virginia respected my Grandfather so greatly that they voted to name the street he built his family home raised his children on after him. What an amazing legacy he left for his family and others to always remember!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have not ever been called the “N” word to my face before which is a blessing, but I know if I was to be called that word it would be stemming from hate. I could only imagine what my grandfather had to face when he was growing up in a world that constantly rejected him. But what I noticed was throughout all of the rejection my grandfather faced in his life, he still had it within his heart to serve the people that hated him the most. He didn’t serve because he had to, but it was part of his character that ended up forming his reputation. He had gained respect from all races because of this act of humility yet humbleness. After all we are put on this earth to serve one another right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can only hope that I can be half the person that my Grandfather was when he was alive. He made sure he was a servant to the community he was living within. It all makes sense to why I have an itch to try to get involved in anything to better my surroundings as I grow more into a woman as each day goes by. It is not an easy task because there is sometimes doubt and fear that can start to creep up, but then I precede to drop kick any of those ill feelings. May my grandfather rest in peace and continue to be proud of my cousins and I. Hopefully we are carrying on the legacy that he has left for us in a way he would be pleased with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With my reflectiveness of his journey I come to the realization that no matter how a person may treat me because of my skin, I still need to remember who I am. The goal for this year is to work on serving others more the best way that I know how to. I also would like to build upon my character so my reputation will form itself. I’m not going to allow a word that was formed out of hate to define myself or my colleagues. I am still learning to see through the illusion the society forces on our conscious to believe in and stay alive within the truth that is told to be a lie. With being said……politics anyone? Or just maybe continuing to set an example for those around me? Either way, be on the lookout for what is within my future…………..<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 33.733333587646484px;">“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” – Hebrews <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6:10</a></span></b></div>
StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-75946150066793856932016-12-28T15:50:00.002-08:002016-12-29T04:31:03.953-08:00Miscarriage <div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When I was a child I used to imagine that I was in different places from what my reality was. There was a time that my </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">parents were</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> doing the best they could do to prov</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ide for my sister and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">me</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, but we</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> can feel the toll it was taking on them. We didn’t have a lot of material things during this time, but my imagination of where I can envision my family and me to have more carried me through my childhood and made it a good one. I read books, created paintings and drawings, and even played outside with my imaginary friend. When we are children our imagination is usually the very thing that we use the most. When we become adults the whole concept of imagination starts to feel unrealistic.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Today I was feeling kind of uninspired and feeling like I need</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ed</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a little push. By the grace of God my friend text me to look at one of the videos he</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> had</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> posted on his Facebook. Immediately I go to it thinking that it was maybe going to be something to make me laugh. Boy was I wrong; it was a message that changed my life within minutes. The person in the video was talking about using our imagination like we did when we were a child in the upcoming year of 2017. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">He started stating that our imagination is a gift that God has given us in order to be successful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold;">“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The message in the video started to have me think about how the world can make us lose the dream that was put inside of us as a child. We end up losing our most powerful childlike ability which is to imagine and create our own reality. The creative adult is the child that survived the miscarriage. We reach back to that childlike imagination and bring it to the present. We have the ability to tap into our imaginations and create a product, place, or thing that would be beneficial not only to us, but to others as well.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> We have to ask God to restore our imagination and ignite our visions again. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">My son likes to play with dinosaurs and whatever he is visualizing with his imagination, he moves the dinosaur</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> in the physical to respond to those things that he </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">has </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">envisioned. He is creating a reality for his dinosaurs th</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">at started with his imagination. I realized that I have to start taking steps towards what is unseen, ordering my footsteps in the physical. Action is what creates the reality that we imagine ourselves in. My actions have to speak louder than my words and also</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> louder than</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> my imagination.</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">With my experience in network marketing, the company I was with used to teach us to imagine us hitting a certain goal, or signing up a certain amount of people. I saw firsthand of how it could work for a person and how it couldn’t. Some people would take their imagination and run with it. Others like me would be really confused and not sure if what they </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">are imagining could come to reality</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. We cannot allow fear to take over what we imagine for our lives. Fear is an emotion of the devil and he wants us to feel this way in order to miscarry our dreams. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It is okay to want better for our reality and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">for our lives in general</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The world is not set up to </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">help you meet your destiny, its set up to make you </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">feel it could NEVER happen. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Start to IMAGINE and get to CREATING!!!</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw</span></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-11546235890915481282016-12-13T14:39:00.004-08:002016-12-13T14:47:20.501-08:00Angry Black Woman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else’s whim or to someone else’s ignorance.” – bell hooks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">I was listening to an interview on the Breakfast Club with the music producer Pharrell Williams. If you are not familiar with whom he is, he made one of the best songs ever called Happy. He recently helped produced a movie called Hidden Figures that is based on the untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. The three women were valuable assets to the launching of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. If they were not part of this mission John Glenn wouldn’t have made it to the moon. They were all intelligent women and changed the course of how America and other countries view women today, especially black women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">I’m really excited about seeing this movie and I feel it is time for stories like these to be told on a platform for everyone to see. I’m also excited that black women are being represented in a way where we don’t have to have all of our clothes off or have to perform a song. Nothing wrong with these representations, well maybe one, but to be honest I am bored with how I and other women in my culture are viewed and mostly represented. We tend to sometimes have to take the good with the bad. There have been some winning moves that have transpired by black women such as the new series Insecure created and co-written by Issa Rae that has had major success on a major cable network which is well, pretty MAJOR.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">The interview got me to thinking about how great it is for me to be a black woman today. You see my journey as a black woman in America has had its ups and downs, but I always have found within myself to love my looks, skin color, hair etc. no matter what. There have been times where people asked the infamous question of what am I? I tend to give them a blank look at first and then I proceed to tell them I’m black. Then they proceed to tell me that they didn’t mean any harm by it, I just have beautiful features and blah blah blah. This post is not to bash other cultures, but it is all personal experience. In a way it makes me feel like strange fruit because people admire it, but don’t really want to know what the taste is because of how it looks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">"Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by other, is one of the most difficult challenges I face.” – Carol Moseley-Braun<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">I feel that black women are some of the most misunderstood women because there are so many layers and elements that come with us. There are so many personalities and looks as well as skills we multitask flawlessly. Even with all of these great things that I as well as other can bring to the table, I still feel a slight side eye that will always take place amongst my peers. There’s always an extra effort that will have to be put into my greeting with others, or my assignment that’s maybe due for work. We are either very intelligent or really ghetto with no in between. There are certain feelings and topics that society has made us feel we have to hide or just not talk about at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">The song Don’t Touch My Hair by Solange was so liberating for me because sometimes people don’t really understand it’s annoying when someone wants to touch your hair. When you feel it’s a normal hairstyle for you, but the person makes a big deal of it. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with compliments and sometimes I liked to be acknowledged for being different. At the same time the emphasis put on certain things that make me the woman I am are a little bit too much. I have learned to build a thick skin, be more confident, and not take these things too personal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">All of this has made me realize I wouldn’t change my ethnicity for any other one in the world. I find pride in being a black woman no matter how we may be represented in television, movies, music, etc. I don’t have to identify myself as someone else’s opinion because I know what I bring to the table. I am beautiful, intelligent, gentle, kind, sweet, funny, and way more. No color makes me less or more than anyone else.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> If you are a black woman reading this blog post, I hope you found some truth in this. Us black women don’t have to be hidden figures like the women were in the movie. We can shine our lights so bright that they won’t have a choice, but to put us at the forefront like everyone else. Thank God that I have this creative space to invite you in and help you get a better understanding of me, a black woman. Go see and support the movie Hidden Figures when it comes out!!!!</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.” – Zora Neale Hurston</span></b>StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-57153243316342315382016-12-11T20:22:00.000-08:002016-12-11T20:22:51.702-08:00I HATE College<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once I graduated high school I felt free and was glad that it was over. While everyone was excited for the next chapter in their lives which mostly consisted of college, I was one of the few true that thought about other things. Did I really need to go to college to figure out what my destiny was? Did I really have to go back to sit in a classroom for a four extra years just to receive a paper? I really admire the people who have completed their college degree successfully and I commend their hard work. For me on the other hand, college never has fit within my life no matter how hard I tried. At least not yet.......</div>
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I graduated when I was 17 years old, I was really young and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't feel as if I wanted to waste my parents money when I really didn't have a career in mind.That's when I started community college to save money, with the hopes of being a journalist while all my other friends moved away to other universities that were pretty well known. I picked mass communications as a study because I thought it would be the best degree to use my creativity. It was great in the beginning, but soon I started to become extremely bored. The routine was getting to me and I wasn't and still am not a routine person.</div>
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In high school I took Art classes all the way up to the advanced one which you could only get in if you were really good at it. Those were the only classes I took serious in high school when I was there. I wanted to have a career in art, but I allowed people to talk me out of it. There were people who told me that there's no money in it. Being young I took it to heart and pretty much ended my whole art career dreams after I graduated. </div>
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All of the sudden I had this bright idea that I was going to move away to North Carolina to start working and that's exactly what I did. You see, I wanted a fresh start like all of my other friends were getting. While this was one of the most not so smart moves I could've made in my life, it was one of the best life lessons I ever learned. I moved down there with the hopes of going to go to North Carolina A&T University for journalism, get a job, get an apartment, and life would be great. </div>
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The move turned out to be the total opposite to say the least. I wasn't able to get into to school, I had a temporary job that lasted me only 3 months, and I could barely afford my car let alone my rent. Your girl was hurting out there and needed to make an executive decision to leave. I ended up having to move back to Virginia with my parents and the harsh reality that my plan had failed. I realized only recently that it failed because I went the opposite direction of what God had set up for me in the first place.</div>
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I ended getting what you call a good job and going back to school online for business. I picked business because I always wanted my own business but didn't know exactly what type of business. I always knew I was destined to be somebody and do something, but I really didn't take the time to seek God first. Seeking God first is such a true experience because he will guide, direct, and make a path for you. After taking a couple semesters of online classes for business I found myself bored again. In a routine that didn't intrigue me or challenge my mind. Instead of learning about business I just wanted to start one and get it over with. I eventually stopped my classes and found myself feeling like a failure again. </div>
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One day I asked God what did he have for me because I feel like a failure for not wanting to go to college, also because I didn't have a degree like everyone else. Not too long after that I stumbled accross a personality test online that I decided to take. My results for a career was every type of career that had to do with being artistic and creative. Then shortly after that I was invited to a sip and paint party by a friend and I haven't put down a Paint brush since. Something sparked inside of me that night, my love of art had came back stronger than ever since high school. That one night changed my life and it had nothing to do with college. </div>
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After that night I learned that there was a career in Art. I ended up having my first art show, teaching Paint classes, and selling some of my creations. All of the things that people told me about art in a negative way was turning into a positive. I was able to see how powerful God's plan was for my life. He showed me that I didn't have to rely on college to make me somebody or make me feel liberated. It was a plan that was uniquely and wonderfully made just for me and I felt really special. So special that I stopped thinking about trying to put myself in space that I didn't fit. There were so many other things that I was trying to go to school for and God just told me to stop and use my gifts he placed inside of me.</div>
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The point of this blog post is not to discourage people from going to college, but really seek God on what he has for your life. You may be surprised that it is the total opposite of what society will make you think and feel. I was trying to fit myself in a box that wasn't for me and it showed through the many failures that took place. Sometimes God will put you through his college courses for you to learn what you have to bring to the world. Today I want you to think about where your at in your life at the moment. Are you living life according to others? Or are you living life according to your true self?</div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-69283982670319290632016-12-08T11:04:00.003-08:002016-12-09T14:11:04.429-08:00Pimping ain't easy.....<div>
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Is the Church my Pimp?<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I wake up on Payday my first initial thought is not to give my money to the church, but what bills do I have to pay. I mean why should I give my hard earned money to the church? So the Pastor and can live better than me and show off his or her nice clothes and fancy cars? Are there other bills of the church that they are not telling us about, to where they keep preaching on tithes and offering In order to make us feel guilty about it? Or maybe, just maybe my Pastor may drop the bomb on us that he needs a private jet or plane to get back and forth for his mission trips that only he and couple other people are allowed to go in. I just don’t want to give my cold hearted cash when I don’t understand the concept in the first place…..<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus – Philippians 4:19<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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It took me a while to BELIEVE the scripture quoted above because I didn’t feel as if God was blessing me for what I was sewing aka what I was giving from my funds. When I was a kid I remember sitting in church and when it was time for tithes and offering there were some adults that started rejoicing and then there were some adults that had this ill look and feeling come over them. I would wonder why there was such a split reaction amongst the humans I was around. As I grew older the same reaction was still came from my fellow colleagues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tithes and offering has had a bad rap sheet when it comes to the media. There have been federal investigations done with pastors such as Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and Eddie Long to just name a few. These types of stories hinder the minds of the world to think that all churches are operating in a suspect manor. This is understandable because if you are not aware of or study what tithing and offering is. You will continue to go off of word of mouth and articles, magazines, etc. Instead of diving head first into the bible and what it teaches about growing your wealth you will think that people are out to get your money.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 30.666664123535156px;">You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation – Malachi 3:9<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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I want you all to understand that I didn’t take tithing serious until this year. There were times in the past where I would put chump change in here and there, but didn’t make a conscious effort of it. I didn’t feel as if I should because for one I didn’t feel connected, I felt used. I felt used for my money only because I wasn’t being used within the church. Nobody was encouraging for me to volunteer let alone making me aware of what I could do to work within the church. The only time I felt I was being talked to was when it was time to put my tithes and offering in a basket or offering plate. Those people weren’t the people at fault for my actions though so there’s no need to play the blame game.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I started attending the church I go to now I made a vow to myself, I was going to make a conscious effort to have my Tithes and Offering on the regular. I wanted to see what would take place if I surrendered and put my trust in God with my finances. What I didn’t realize, was how damaged my heart, mind, and spirit was from years and years of being hurt from the church. My personal experience of tithing wasn’t because I was confused or didn’t have my money. My rebellion of not tithing was stemming from not being used in multiple churches. When I say not being used, I mean that I was over looked by several people for reasons only God knows.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 30.666664123535156px;">Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will. – Nelson Mandela<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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God knew I wouldn’t have been able to handle what he had for my life at that time. He knew that I would need to go through some things and situations in order to know that Tithing and offering is not about me in the first place, but it is VERY IMPORTANT. When a pimp controls prostitutes he or she is in control of not only their clients, but also what funds they make from such activity. If they do not receive part of their finances there could be serious consequences for the prostitutes. The serious consequences that took place with my finances were almost detrimental to my life and my sense of well-being because I almost lost everything the years before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was searching for a way to stay afloat with my bills and money while all along I needed to honor GOD instead of PEOPLE with part of my income. Now I’m not saying that the church is my pimp or anyone else’s, but there was a time where I thought that was the case. I believed serious consequences were going to happen and I was going to get a lightning bolt struck down upon me. There was so much guilt that it turned into me giving more than what I had myself to where I ended up broke. I had put my trust in people instead of hearing what God had to say to me and me only.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Within meditation this year God had spoken to me about being successful. The first tip that he gave me was to give my tithes and offering every time I got paid. I suddenly felt chills when I heard that. Tithes and offering is a form of honoring God. When I started to honor God with my money, things started to happen rapidly. My gifts and talents started to pour out like oil. There was a new freshness and awakening that took place. Whoever is reading this will need to know that if you want to have a positive form of success you have to honor God with EVERYTHING. I’m not perfect, but what I do know is that I have seen the miracles that can take place with you do this consistently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Take time today to meditate on what you want your life to be and how you would like it to change. Write down what you hear or get a sense of, also write down where you would like to be in life eventually without giving it a time frame. Then when you get to that place you can look back and see that God has been there for you every step of the way. Even with your finances…….<o:p></o:p></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-78444702999871257112016-12-02T09:07:00.000-08:002018-04-02T15:35:03.592-07:00Sex is overrated....<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Sex is overrated…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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We live in a sex craved society these days that condition people to believe that sex is the very thing that makes relationships “better” or more “stronger” per say. You can find articles in magazines such as the Cosmopolitan, Elle, and even Women’s Health that oozes this illusion of a sexual culture. Good looking males and women model on the covers of the magazines with their unrealistic bodies and smiles. There’s an image of couples that are both laughing and joking out in the park or play fighting in bed which sounds and looks great and totally gets you to connect with what the writer is saying! It makes us feel warm and cozy inside and yearning for what the image may represent to our minds. Well let me start off by telling you, this blog is in no way being written in order to bash or offend anyone. This is all MY personal experience with a little fact from the Bible aka my lifeline. Now let’s get started!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Titus <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:15</a> – To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Just like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air song goes….”Now this is story all about how my life got twist, turned upside down, and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there and I’ll tell you how this sexual culture almost ruined my life.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Coming from a Christian background and home the topic of sex was NOT talked about or thought about which could be detrimental to any teen girl or boy. No offense to my parents, but growing pains start to take place and becoming a teenager there’s a realization the world has much more to offer than what your parents have taught and told you. I on the other can say that I was the least bit hard headed and was curious to find out on my own things that maybe should’ve been talked about more. From my personal experience it made me want to rebel more instead of following the way the bible teaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s face it; everywhere we turn there is some type of reference to the sex. We have movies, TV shows, music, school books, etc. that all involve sex. We even have commercials that now look like porn. There are shows that my 2 year old son watches that have things that only an adult would understand within them that lead me to writing this blog about this topic specifically. It’s no way we can deny or say that sex is not a part of everything in these times and it is only going to get worst.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">1 Corinthians 7:9 - But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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The bible teaches us that sex is a very sacred thing amongst the married and that if you are unable to have self-control it is better to marry than to burn with passion (1 Corinthians 7:9) Now when you look at the ending of that scripture you read the “burn with passion” part. Psychologically in my mind there is a deeper meaning to that more than what people may see on the surface. I learned that having multiple sex partners is very dangerous, and you are risking your livelihood every time you lay down with someone. There are not only diseases that you can physically contract, but in a supernaturally in the spirit world you can contract much worst.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I may have dodged being physically burned, but I for sure did not dodge being spiritually burned which I thank GOD every day that he has healed me from all of the burning that had taken place. You see sex for me wasn’t ever something that I wanted to do just because. The images and visuals that I was seeing around in the world made me want to experience what they were having because I didn’t realize there was a void. For instance in movies they make every scene seem as if the people are deeply in love that are in relations with each other. That was far from the truth and I definitely had to snap out of thinking the sex equaled love because of this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Growing up with an alcoholic father, really lead me down this path that the devil thought was going to take me out. It wasn’t until recently that I learned the love I so called was trying to get from guys through sex was the love I was yearning for from the very first male figure that I was supposed to be in love with…My DAD! My mind was already conditioned because of what society forces down our throat with how sex is supposed to help and incur. I also realized that I was missing the intimacy that I was supposed to have with God, my creator, and original Father. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My physical father was unable to love me the way that he should because he was unable to fully love himself correctly. There was a struggle to completely connect with him because his feelings about himself stood in the way and ended up making him selfish. He didn’t realize that it was affecting me and my siblings. There seems to be a struggle with many people about the way they look and the way they love themselves first. The world makes you believe that sex is the answer to all of those voids and it is not! Personally it did not fill the voids my heart may have suffered from, but it definitely taught me a valuable lesson about love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No human can love you like the way God does, he created you, so why would he not love you more than anyone else. God knows everything about you from the gaps in your teeth to the birth marks you may have that nobody else is able to see. Everything that God sets out for the good, including SEX, the devil will turn into something evil and more of a distraction to get your attention off of the REALEST relationship you can ever have! If you don’t know God get to know him fast! If you don’t know where to start, reach out to someone you know who is a believer that you feel comfortable with and go to coffee, out to eat, or their house to start conversations about who God may be. Have a blessed one and I hope this helps you or someone you may know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">“I have learned that love can grow without sex, and that sex does not always lead to love.” - Anonymous<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-74570872412993178332016-11-17T09:55:00.001-08:002016-11-17T09:55:16.693-08:00Learning Self Gains Wealth<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 24pt; line-height: 36.79999923706055px;">Matthew <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6:21</a> – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">There has been a shift that has taken place in the atmosphere when it comes to gaining self-knowledge of us. If you pay close attention you can smell it, feel it, and almost taste it. Now is the season to truly become aware of your gifts also known as talents and bring them forth to the world. But before bringing this to the world there has to be schooling that takes place between you and yourself, and God. Learning and understanding our creator and who you truly are becomes the keys of unlocking what wealth really means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 24pt; line-height: 36.79999923706055px;">Proverbs 10:4 – Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Wealth does not happen overnight as in knowing your true self does not happen overnight either. The work being put into gaining a true knowledge of my creator aka GOD has brought an abundance of wealth to my life. According to the definition in the dictionary, <b>wealth means an abundance of valuable possessions or money</b>. The valuable possessions that God has made me aware of are my gifts and talents. I cannot stress this enough because when God reveals these to you, you will truly understand how he wants to use you in this world. The meaning of your purpose will start to turn the darkness around into light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">What we have to understand is that we are on this earth in order to bring light! This statement can be easier said than done because of what comes with bringing light to the world. The forces of evil will attack you more than ever when you are trying to pull back the blanket off of what is underneath. Underneath the blanket is what the enemy does not want people to see because it can turn their lives back to their creator. The enemy does not want us seeking any type of instructions from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in order for us to reach what we have within us. Don’t think for a second that I am not getting attacked while I am typing this to bring to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 24pt; line-height: 36.79999923706055px;">“When you learn how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts.” – Anonymous<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">It takes time and patience to get to the point of knowing that you are worth more than others opinions. I understand that this blog post will not be for everyone, but it will be for more than enough. Once you consume the attitude that you are already wealthy with what you already have, you will be able to hold your head high and stop selling yourself short. There are going to be people that have such a low opinion of you that you have to learn to IGNORE and IGNITE the power of the God within you and get high. So whoever is reading this…..the time is NOW! GET UP, GET OUT, AND DO SOMETHING!</span></div>
StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-54204211975256971262016-09-26T18:31:00.003-07:002016-09-26T18:31:35.456-07:00Melanin<b>Melanin</b>.<br />
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Is my skin not good enough for you?<br />
Is my black almost too blue?<br />
Is what your feeling really true?<br />
I can't change myself to be something society wants.<br />
Nor can I change what people have said to me in order to taunt.<br />
My blood boils when I get disrespected.<br />
But in reality I guess you can say that's what should be expected.<br />
This country is filled with bitter and disgust.<br />
With a bunch of false relationships and hearts filled with lust.<br />
What I see in the mirror is a beautiful brown woman.<br />
With a whole lot of sass and zen.<br />
Oh yea and by the way, I stand tall and proud when I say my name is Kristen.<br />
But off of that let's get back to my skin.<br />
Buttery brown, mixed with sugar.<br />
Looks so sweet that I'll even make a burglar put down his trigger.<br />
Nothing will ever change the way I feel about myself.<br />
All the negativity thrown at me will be put on a shelf.<br />
I hope to see you around one day.<br />
But next time think before you speak when you come my way.<br />
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Kristen NicoleStillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-2274018877743797432016-08-29T16:58:00.001-07:002016-08-29T17:03:07.887-07:00Monday Blues....😩<div class="s2" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 48px;">Monday Blues……..</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Let’s face it, I have a love and hate relationship with Monday’</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s. On Monday’s </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we are all supposed to feel empowered because it is a fresh week! Today I completely feel the opposite of this being that I am feeling uninspired and like I need a vacation. Or maybe it is because I did not have my morning coffee like usual? Either way I wish I was able to turn the clock back and do this day all over again, but then I think </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">about </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">how tomorrow will be a totally different day with different emotions.</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> With that being said here are some things I do in order to make my day feel better as it goes on. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 48px; line-height: 57.599998474121094px;">Affirm your day!</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">In the</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> morning I have to affirm my</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> day as m</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">uc</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">h as possible and as much as I</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> need. When this i</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s done right in the morning I </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">can shake off the negativity or unpleasant emotions that may a</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">rise throughout your day. I usually keep a</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> notebook full of different </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">quotes, </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">sayings</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, and notes from sermons that I can look over and grab any inspiration and motivation I need in order to push through the day</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Isaiah 40</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">:31 “Because I place my hope in the Lord my strength is renewed.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 48px; line-height: 57.599998474121094px;">Pray!</span></div>
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<span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Prayer changes the course of your life!</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Learning to pray in the morning when I wake up has been a process for me. I sometimes forget that it needs to be done and start thinking about everything else the day may consist of. I’ve learned that putting everything else before prayer is not such a smart decision. Perhaps I may have had to go through a couple experiences that could’ve been </span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">handled differently if I did pray. I like to think of prayer as my armor to keep myself, family, and friends that I have prayed for from harm and danger.</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">2 Chronicles</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">16:11 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 48px; line-height: 57.599998474121094px;">Invest in a Devotional Book……</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The two devotional books I currently read from every morning are </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The Confident Woman Devotional written by Joyce Meyer</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Jesus Calling written by Sarah Young</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. These both give me so much life in the morning and they both give confirmation to things I may be going through in my life. I like to call them my guidelines more than my devotionals because they really do keep me grounded and rooted in my calling and what my purpose is for my life. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 48px; line-height: 57.599998474121094px;">Tomorrow is a New Day!</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I always remember that I have tomorrow to start over and start new, it will not always have to be on a Monday</span></span><span class="s4" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. I also have to keep in mind to not be so down on myself to the point where we are anxious for another day to start. The bible states in </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Philippians 4:6 “</span></span><span class="s6" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Be ca</span></span><span class="s6" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">reful for nothing; but in every</span></span><span class="s6" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.</span></span><span class="s6" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">” </span></span><span class="s7" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We can only worry about the day </span></span><span class="s7" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">that we have at hand.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The tips above are things I try to do on a daily basis. It is okay if you don’t want to choose all of them. Just know that if there is something else you think of that may help you then do it! I hope this helps someone who may be reading this….Have a blessed Monday!</span></span></div>
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StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-52708259336622505462016-08-04T05:37:00.000-07:002016-08-04T06:25:44.690-07:00Reverse Psychology <b><i>Be aware of the reverse psychology that the enemy tries to play on our minds. </i></b><br />
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There was a dream I had about a particular person that did not like me very well. This person had wrote a book about why they didn't like me and their perspective of me. There were several personal pictures in the book of myself and others surrounded by me as if we were all being followed. As I was reading this in the book store I felt betrayed and I had become angry. When it came time to confront the person they turned from human to something evil.<br />
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I felt the Lord was shedding light not only on that person, but myself as well. You see that was a sign that because this person didn't like me I had emotions of fear, insecurities, worry, and stress. It was a setup for the enemy to derail These were emotions that were weighing me down to where I was at a stand still in my life. They had taken control of my mind and I allowed them to mske decisions for me from my health to my education.<br />
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The enemy will place fear into our mind first and then it will start to trickle down to the important parts of the body that we need to put action to our dreams. Whether it's writing a book, planning events, or brainstorming ideas, we want to make sure our mind is clear of what the enemy wants it to be consumed by. If the enemy can cripple our minds first it will shut down everything else within our body and ends up making us stuck in the same place or places in our lives.<br />
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When a person is considered brain dead nothing within their bodies are working properly and they are equivalent to a vegetable. Our brains are valuable to our bodies, if we are brain dead we cannot function. We have to realize that our mind is the most critical part of what our purpose is on earth. If our mind is wrapped in fear and other toxic emotions our body will never get to the point of leaving our comfort zones. We continue to hold back on our gifts and what life God has for us to live. I look at it as another form of being brain dead.<br />
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We are not the ones to determine what God has placed us on the earth for, only HE can. The fact that this person had placed so many emotions within me was surprising. But God also allowed me to see that it wasn't the person doing this, it was Satan working through this person in order to accomplish his plan. There are going to be people that come in our paths that are working specifically for the enemy. These people may not even be aware of this, but if you are aware of what's going on pray that enemy's plan will cease in your life as well as the person that the enemy is using life as well.<br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1240299376397121605.post-51913233024419123822016-07-18T06:51:00.000-07:002016-07-18T07:49:09.961-07:00Mindset for SuccessHow do you define success? Do you think of success as having a lot of money? Maybe receiving a promotion that you've been trying to get for some time now? Or maybe having a family that you've always dreamed of? Even though all of these are great to have, success really doesn't happen until you change your <b>MINDSET</b> to be a winner. Below I am going to break down a few things that I have learned on the journey to "success".<br />
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<b><i>1. Don't just go to church, learn to have a real relationship with God</i>.</b><br />
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Going to church is the least that we can do for God, but having a real relationship with God is when you'll get the instructions you need to gain success and life begins. When God gives you instructions to do things they're not just instructions to get you to have money. They are practically your guideline for your life as a whole.<br />
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<b><i>2. Pay attention to what voice your listening to.</i></b><br />
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If you are always making decisions out of doubt and fear then you are not listening to the right voice. You are listening to the Devil himself. Everyday that you wake up God has and agenda for you and the Devil most certainly has an agenda for you. It is his job to get you off course and try to deceive you into making decisions that look good on the surface but underneath has a whole lot of problems and consequences that come with those choices.<br />
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<b><i>3. Always put your best foot forward</i></b>.<br />
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Whatever you do in life do it to the best ability because it teaches discipline for success. It can be very easy to become lazy and procrascinate until last minute. Last minute shouldn't be the way, you or I operate within this thing called life. Intentionally plan to do things and start using a calendar to make sure you can keep up with the plans you have. (I'm still practicing this part haha)<br />
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<b><i>4. Love yourself</i></b>.<br />
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You have to love yourself enough to encourage yourself. Learn how to talk to yourself in the mirror, in the car, ANYWHERE! Hug yourself, tell yourself that you love you, and tell yourself that you are beautiful every chance you get. Learn yourself so that you know exactly what you want out of life. Once this occurs no one will be able to persuade decisions you have to make soley for yourself. God created you to be a leader not a follower.<br />
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<b><i>5. You will not have a lot of friends when your on the right path.</i></b><br />
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Last, but not least you are not going to have a lot of friends when you are on the right path that God has you on. If you have a lot of friends you should be worried. I only say worried because if these "friends" aren't around when you are down and around only when you are up you should cut it quick. There are people that will be drawn to your light in the correct way, and also drawn to your light in the wrong way. Watch who you surround yourself with because that's what you will eventually become.<br />
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All of the tips above are only coming from true experience that I've had on my own journey that I wanted to share with you. There are things that I am still trying to get down to a science on the list, but we are not perfect and never will be. The first step is to acknowledge what needs to be fixed and then give it to God. The road to success is a different journey for everyone which only means that your journey is <b>ONLY YOUR JOURNEY</b>. Isn't that an exciting thing to know!<br />
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<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "sourcesansproregular" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">"Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." -- </span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "sourcesansproregular" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Albert Einstein</span></i></b><br />
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<br />StillLearning28 Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141542977979799034noreply@blogger.com0