PUSH!

It’s so amazing to be moving in the right direction in life! When things are going well, they are REALLY well, but when they’re not…well, they’re not! Most days, you wake up with the energy to get started and you maintain momentum for all who need pieces of you throughout the day.  You exhaust yourself (many times) for the sake of others needs and wants.  Your family needs…Your boss wants…etc!

But, then there are those days you wake up…and nothing!  You feel nothing.  Your too tired to even feel bad.  You simply wish today was more like yesterday.  That’s just not possible because as optimistic you tend to be, today you are JUST. NOT. FEELING. IT!

It’s what you do that very moment that changes EVERYTHING.

Option 1: You accept your current state. You listen to your body and pity yourself.  After  all, you’ve been working hard all day every day. You deserve one day to wallow in your own mess, right? Every day can’t be great.  That’s just life…

or

Option 2: You can recognize what’s going on and PUSH yourself to think and respond differently.  Immediately in that moment, a fight began between you and your mind. Who’s going to win?  Your will to do more should always win!  Your body never wants to work.  It just wants to be comfortable and be comforted CONSTANTLY!

No two days are going to be exactly alike, so it is imperative that you prepare yourself for whatever comes by making a decision to push yourself.  I am not suggesting you push yourself to a point of frustration or enervation, but you must push past your comfort zone. in order to be a success!

~Christina Marie~
www.liveonpurposetoday.org

#SucceedONPurpose      #LiveONPurpose      #ChristinaMarie

SHOW and TELL more…

This post is one of the more difficult I’ve written.  I woke up Saturday morning with my normal routine which involves checking all my social media.  I came up on a former co-worker’s page where she mentioned the loss of a former student.  I honestly didn’t think too much of it.  I sadly admit I’ve been a bit desensitized to the idea of people leaving this earth.  But, when I scrolled to the picture it all became too present.  I thought “Really?”  This must be a mistake. She had just graduated in May 2015 from the school where I taught for over 10 years. I immediately began to scroll through comments and posts to find out what happened.  My heart sunk even further when a woman posted “Let’s talk about teen suicide.”  This can’t really be the case, I thought. It must have been something different.  But the ugly truth was she took her own life.

I remember passing by her from time to time in the hallways.  I taught her younger brother who was more than a handful in my 8^th grade Science class, but those are the students who hug my heart the tightest. I have so much love for them. She was such a beautiful girl, but I hate that I never acted on what I thought I saw in her hazel eyes.  I saw a bit of sadness.  I saw discontent.  I saw a bit of her heart. But, I didn’t say anything.  I was sure to say “hello” when we crossed paths in the halls hoping to build a teacher/student relationship. It just didn’t happen.  I really wish I would have made more of an effort to connect.

 

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past 5 days; not just about her, but my relationship with my own children and children I minister to.  Do I REALLY know what’s going on inside their heads?  Could I be looking into their eyes every day and still missing something?

We need to begin to SHOW and TELL.  One without the other won’t do.  We must show the young people around us how much we love them. It’s not done by showering gifts only, but by taking out time for them.  They know the difference between you hearing them and you LISTENING to them.  After all, they are the masters of “hearing” everything and “listening” to nothing!  We must make time for their needs not just their practices and games.  We have to create uninterrupted time where they feel free to share what’s on their mind.  And even though they don’t want to hear much from us, we have an obligation to tell them how much they matter; how much they are worth.  We MUST tell them they are the best God has.  They are no mistake, they have a divine purpose in life only THEY can fulfil.  They need to hear from us OFTEN.

Use this and any other situation that plucks the strings of your heart to remember to SHOW and TELL more often.

Please support Asia’s GoFund me page: https://www.gofundme.com/8ddwpsp8

 

Tunnel Vision…Who are you?

Sometimes you can be working diligently and are still not be effective.  The reason is when we get in a “zone”, we tend to have tunnel vision.  Once we get out, those on the “outside” tell us their view of what we were doing.  Sometimes our intentions don’t match up with what was happening in reality.  After writing and self-publishing my first book, I was able to talk to people about their experiences in life and how the book has brought them to the realization that there is just more life to live!  But, what I kept hearing from people is “What about you? What’s your story”  I thought to myself, “My story is not that moving or involved.  I don’t even have much to tell.”  The truth about it is, I DO have a story to tell.  I do have more to share, but I’ve been in tunnel vision for a while. I’ve been focused on being, having, and doing more instead of sharing.  So, I’ve decided on these blog posts I will make a point to tell you more about me each time.  I will share my story in order to help others starting today…

I’m a writer! I always have been. I remember having a notebook in elementary school where I wrote all my poetry. Unlike most, I loved it when it was time to write sentences, paragraphs, and essays.  I just felt comfortable there.  By the time I was in high school, I had one of the hardest English teachers alive, and I was so glad.  She encouraged me to bring out more of my thoughts on paper, so I did.  I went through some things as a teen that would have made no sense coming out of my mouth. Love, hurt, depression, hatred, questions about sexual orientation…It looked much better on paper!  I wrote every day.  I kept that notebook until I misplaced it in 2014. (I don’t think that was an accident!) Poetry, short stories, books, songs…whatever I could.  After high school and into college, God continued to bless me with some of the best and most honest English teachers I could come across.  It was amazing.  He was definitely setting me up for something big.

What is it that you KNOW about yourself?  If someone asked you, “Who are you?”  Of course there would be many parts to that answer, but what’s one you can be SURE of?  For me, I’m sure I am a writer. Take some time this week and just think about that.  Have you had tunnel vision so much that you lost sight of who YOU are?  I’d love to hear from you…

FOLLOW ME:  FACEBOOK   TWITTER   WEBSITE

Don’t be trapped by what others think!

In case you missed it on Facebook, in this post, I will be sharing Purpose Points on “How not to be trapped by what people think!”

Purpose Point #1: KNOW what YOU think.
People can and will take advantage of the fact that you don’t know what you REALLY believe or want. For example, if you want to have more children after your children are already grown. There will be some nay-sayers and those with opinions which have NOTHING to do with you. Please remember opinions are like butts. Everyone has one! Be confident in what it is you want. People can smell fear and know when you are unsure waiting for someone to agree. They are most likely not going to agree, so you have to know what YOU think and first and foremost with no reservations. Know that you know that you know you truly believe in the decision you are about to make or already have made. Even when the negativity come from close friends or family, you have to eliminate it from your surroundings!

Purpose Point #2: Take Care of You
It’s not that you are trying to be insensitive or ugly, but living on purpose can be so involved you have little time to look around at others. Be engrossed in what you love and ways you plan to progress in life! By taking care of YOU first, you can be a better person for those around you and those you love!

Purpose Point #3: Be amazing
When you are great at what you do, people will talk. They will give positive feedback but unfortunately more will be negative. The important thing is…they’re talking about YOU. Proverbs 18:16 says ” A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” Don’t worry so much about WHAT they’re saying. As long as they’re saying SOMETHING, you’ve captured their attention!

Purpose Point #4: Stop Over-thinking it
No, really!! STOP! You will say things you did not intend to say in ways you didn’t intend to say them…get over it. It’s not the first time nor will it be the last. There will be times you are embarrassed and feeling shamed. Pick yourself up and move forward. You are NOT your mistakes. It is easier said than done but no one said it would be easy! It must be done! Be sure your heart and intentions were in the right place. If they weren’t, take care of your business, and get it fixed. Give yourself a time frame that you will spend reflecting on what happened. Once that time frame has passed, LET IT GO!

Purpose Point #5: Evaluate who is worth listening to
First, you do not share your dreams and aspirations with everyone. They don’t deserve to know. Just let them see it. By nature, people are very skeptical and tend to be “helping” but often are just dropping seeds of negativity. That will cause you to rethink everything. That’s why Purpose Point #1 was so important. Secondly, know who you’re keeping around you and who you can trust with your thoughts. Treat your ideas like a baby. You wouldn’t let just anyone hold your child and talk to him or her would you? Of course not! Then there are only a select few you let “hold” and “speak to” your concepts and ideas. Those SELECT FEW may be the only people worth listening to. All other opinions should only be taken with a grain of salt.

…and I approve this message

Why do you think campaign ads end their commercials with “I am ________, and I approve this message.”?  It is because we are trained from a young age to believe that someone else’s approval is all we need in order to make the best decisions.  We are inundated with social and political figures who put their stamp of approval on an item in hopes of us running behind that which they approved.  It is happening all around you right now.  The soda (or water) you are drinking had a well-known figure in their commercial to promote sales, but is that all we are? A sale?  No, of course not.  But, we do often validate ourselves, our lives even based on someone else’s approval.

Seeking the approval of others was one of my first mistakes. But how could I avoid it? When mom is happy, the house is happy, right? Right! So my vision became her happiness which would equal my approval. It was a win-win until it wasn’t. It became a game between me and myself to see if she could be MADE happy. Somehow I put all of that responsibility on myself. I gauged my success on her response and ultimately anyone’s response. Positive response = success. Negative response = failure. And when there was no response = unworthy. I willingly and purposefully put my life in the hands of others over and over again hoping there was someone I could make happy everyday, all the time, forever. I know now how much that is unrealistic but during this time I continued creating this roller coaster of emotions within my mind. In this writing, I continue to use “I” and “me” because I take responsibility for those choices. While I was influenced and reared a certain way, it was me who ultimately decided not to stop the cycle. I continued to make decisions based on what others WOULD think or respond.

Why give others that much power in your life? We are interdependent needing each other to survive yet we still have our own mind to make our own decisions.  This is why my sophomore book holds the title, “Succeed ON Purpose.” Do it on purpose with great intent, reasoning and thought. You have a choice to make. You can play with your life as a puppet on strings constantly putting on a costume and performing before the crowd you call family, friends and coworkers, or you can be the director and call the shots in your own success. Make a decision and stick with it!

Look in the mirror and tell YOURSELF…I am _______, and I approve this message!

SUBSCRIBE HERE: www.liveonpurposetoday.org

The Seed is in You!

It is a known fact that when a plant is to grow, it must first begin as a seed.  The seed then is well taken care of, watered, nourished, and given much sun to someday become what it was designed to become. But, for most plants, this does not happen over night.  Some take days, months, even years to bear fruit.  Have you ever seen an apple tree bear oranges? No.  You know why? The tree can only produce from what the seed has inside.  While the seed is physically small and seems incapable of ever being anything of substance, in it is everything it will become.

Be careful of what seeds you allow to fall on the soil of your life!

It WILL produce what’s inside of it.  Our live will too produce from what seeds are inside.  Take note of what is before your eyes at all times.  What do you spend time watching?  TV, social media, the internet (in general) have many eye-catching, luring traps.  Watch what you allow through the windows of your soul (mind). Keep in front of you positive images.  Images of success, love, empowerment.  Yes, it is just that important.  Someone close to you is receiving seeds you are dropping as well.  You will know because the people close to you will be just like you.  You begin to talk the same, have similar mannerisms.  You didn’t that that was a coincidence did you? You deposit seeds in one another and those seeds will too grow.  Be sure they are seeds of love and encouragement.  That’s what you are destined to be: a person of love and constant encouragement to yourself and others!  Aside from your eyes, you must intentionally monitor the seeds that fall on your ears.  Guard what you hear.  TURN IT OFF!  You control that.  Stay out of unproductive conversations. You are not a trash receptacle are you?  Since you are not, why do you allow people to dump their trash in and on you?  Think about an unproductive conversation you were in this week.  That is time you will never get back.  You may have already seen the “fruit” of that conversation.  It may have resulted in not getting things done that are pertinent.  It could have even shown up in your changed negative attitude after the conversation.  These are subtle ways we are thrown off course of our purpose.  God has already planted the purpose seed in us before we were ever born.  You have an innate purpose that no one else can make flourish as you can.  BUT, whatever seeds you have allowed to fall on your life, will take over that purpose until you “pull up the weeds.”

With love & purpose,
Christina Marie

SUBSCRIBE for updates @ www.liveonpurposetoday.org TODAY!!

Follow me on Facebook l Follow me on Twitter

You’re better than this!

In Acts 3 of the Bible, you find a man who is at a low place in his life.  Not only does he have nothing physically, but he also has no one around him who will help him move past his current state.  In fact, they have helped him become more and more comfortable with his debilitating situation.  He begs daily for his needs to be met through the giving of strangers.  What’s worse is that there are people who take him everyday to the place where he will beg.  I would imagine there is also another group who takes him back where he resides until morning.  Wouldn’t it have been better for these people who brought him to his begging station to encourage and empower him as they travel each morning instead? Just what if they told him, “You’re better than this!”? What if they told him about his untapped potential? These weren’t just “anybodies”.  They were people this man interacted with day after day!  He trusted them.

All too often, the people who are closest to us are not helping us tap into our greatest potential.  They are so familiar with our daily routines that they find it hard to see us for who we REALLY are!  If those whom you keep closest to you cannot provide encouragement and their lives do not uplift others, you may want to re-evaluate why you keep them so close.  They should not be enablers silently watching you waste you talent.

One day, while the man was begging, two great men came walking by.  They saw and heard the man.  When the man asked them for money, their response shocked the man and everyone around.  They told him they had no money but had a powerful suggestion.  They had the kind of concern that should have been given by the people who the beggar chose to let carry him to the gate everyday.  They simply said, “In the name of Jesus, walk!”  They took the man by the hand, helped him up and instantly, the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

It doesn’t take a whole lot!  An army of 5,000 nor a 3-hour long dissertation were necessary.  It only required just a few empowering words from people who cared more about who he was to become than who he was at his present state.

If you don’t have anyone who can strengthen you instantly, you will need to start by encouraging yourself.  Know that God is the best encourager you can find.  He will strategically place the right people in your life.  It’s your job to nurture these relationships.  Don’t be fooled by “look-a-likes” brought to you by the enemy.  These relationships are not meant for your good and take you off course.  You’ll know the right people by their fruit.  What does the relationship produce?  Do they bring you TO your problem or OUT of your problem??  They should just tell you…”YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!”

With Love & Purpose,
Christina Marie

Find more from Christina Marie at www.liveonpurposetoday.org!!

Just do you!

Sometimes I sit back and watch other people while thinking to myself, “I want to be like that or I wish I was that way.” I look at their behaviors and actions wishing I were just as organized or pristine as they are or maybe wishing I was just as carefree and relaxed. The problem with this behavior is someone else is watching me thinking the same thing. This is why it’s so vital to just “do you”. When I make the mistake of comparing myself to others and wishing to be or have what belongs to them, I lose sight of what my purpose is. My purpose is like none other because there is no other me! So, I begin to shake it off and re- frame my mind.  I become grateful for my goofy side as well as my overly serious side at times! I begin to be okay with my “OCD-like” tendencies because they all define ME. Confidently define yourself! Don’t let others do it for you and avoid doing it based on anyone else.

Just do you!

With Love & Purpose,
Christina Marie

SUBSCRIBE here: www.liveonpurposetoday.org!!

What’s stopping you?

Let’s determine what is stopping you from moving forward…

FAMILY. Family has this way of deflating your brightly colored, sparkly dream really quickly. They like to use the phrase “I know you” as if that’s a means to an end for your dream. Sometimes you have to back away. Stop telling them EVERYTHING . You don’t even have it all clearly thought out, and they won’t understand it because they are not YOU. At the end of the day, only YOU are living your life, so you cannot blame your stopping the ship on the family. Its not family. It’s you…

MONEY. I get it! Even Ecclesiastes 10:19 says money answers all things, and it does. But, you cannot turn the engine completely off on your aspirations because of a lack in finances. You just need to get organized. Pack lunch and save money. Downsize your car and/or home. Do not live beyond your means. You can FIND the money. Be creative! It’s no excuse not to move forward with your life’s purpose. Sell something you no longer need!! It’s not money. It’s you…

Time. “I have no time”… really, that’s a lie! I must be honest. You don’t want me to lie to you, do you? (Even if you wanted me to, I wouldn’t!) We all have the same 24 hours a day to work with. It’s how you manage those hours that makes the world of difference. Who are you holding a meaningless conversation with that stole 2 hours from your day that you will never receive back? Who did you spend time waiting for while they are running 30 minutes behind? Where did you go to spend the money you should be saving??  It’s not the time. Time is money! Plan ahead how you will use your time. I’m a firm believe in having a planner. I keep a large one on my desk and a small in in my bag. The mind was not designed to remember everything. It was designed to be creative! Therefore, you must write important things down. Its not time. It’s you…

 If you haven’t figured it out…the only thing stopping you is YOU. Get out of your own way. Don’t over think it but also don’t settle for a lack of planning either. It’s you. It’s you. It’s you. Now what are YOU gonna no to do about it??

Find the steps on what to do next in the book…Live ON Purpose!

 www.liveonpurposetoday.org

What do you do in the storm?

Summer time in NC is infamous for its rapidly changing weather.  Yesterday it was a hot, humid 98 degrees.  Today, I woke up to a breezy 88 degrees.  By lunch…the storm.  I thought, What do you do in the storm?  I have small children.  One of them said “I’m scared” while the others were not phased much at all.  In life there are times when the atmosphere changes quickly without much warning.  So how do you handle these changes? After all, most people are creatures of habit and would rather not have to adjust themselves when change comes.  Since we know it will inevitably happen, it’s important to be prepared; to have tools handy.  You will find these tools in your mind.  What have you prepared yourself for? What have you been telling yourself all this time?

What some do:
FEAR! This will not help you get through the storm at all nor will it change the fact that the storm is going on.  We all experience low places in our life’s journey.  In fact, you may be in one right now, but fear does not assist your situation in any way.  The more you look at the rain and listen to the thunder of your problem, the worse it looks.  It will also look that way to the people close to you.  Fear spreads!  Think back to the Bird Flu, Mad Cow disease, and the most recent Ebola outbreak.

What you should do:
CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION! Watch this :35 second video.  It’s everything because perception is everything.  
Look at the storm as the creative work of art it is.  Look at the low times in your life as the catalysts to new beginnings they are.

So, what do you do in the storm? You change your thinking! You change your view!

Find more and SUBSCRIBE at www.liveonpurposetoday.org