3 Signs that Your Settling for Less

Imagine that you are preparing for an evening of fine dining.  You purchased a new dress in preparation for this spectacular dining experience.  Upon arriving, you are greeted warmly and you are escorted to an exclusive seating area specifically designed to enhance your experience for the evening.

As you approach the beautifully set table with crisp white linens, topped with fine china and glistening silverware, your anticipation of indulging in this wonderful experience continues to rise.

You reach the table and the hostess politely shows you to your seat.  But to your dismay, you’re not seated at the table, she shows you to your seat under the table.

I’m sure you are telling yourself that would never happen to me. Right?

Now think about every time that you have settled.

You could be settling for second best if:

• You have big plans, even bigger dreams but you won’t take action
• You’re waiting for the right conditions or circumstances to change, but it never seems to be the right time
• You find yourself making excuses
• You constantly feel drained
• You find yourself jealous or envious of others success
• You rationalize, not being good enough or worthy enough to have the best

Sound familiar to anyone? When you settle for less, you accept this crumb mindset. The Crumb mentality constantly tells you that you are “Less than” or “Not enough”. This mindset does not serve you and has no place in your life.  It will rob you of your dreams and living a life of purpose and passion.

I want to share some practical information to help live the life you deserve.

1. Know what you want. Start by creating a clear vision of your life.  Your vision for your life is one of the greatest assets you have to living the life of your dreams. This serves as a compass that guides you to make the best choices and take the best action to help propel you to reaching your goals
2. Know your Worth.  One of my favorite malls is the Galleria in Dallas.  There are several high end retailers located in the Galleria. If you want to shop at the Chanel store, you cannot simply walk in, you have to ring a buzzer in order to be allowed inside.  Why would they need to protect what was inside? Because they know that what lies behind those glass doors is of great value.  The way you perceive your value will affect how other people see you.
3. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. By definition, a comfort zone is a behavioral space where your activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. You must do the thing that you think you cannot do.  There is nothing fabulous that happens inside your comfort zone.  Start today by doing something that stretches and grows you.

You deserve the best that life has to offer. The minute you settle for less than you deserve ,you get even less than you settled for. So aim high, dream big and live your best life

5 Quotes that will change Your Life

 

5 Quotes that will change your Life

1. When people show you who they are, believe them”-Maya Angelou

2. “You must do the thing you think you cannot”-Eleanor Roosevelt

3.” Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny”-C.S. Lewis

4. “Follow your passion;It will lead you to your purpose”-Oprah

5. “There is no passion to be found in playing small..”-Nelson Mandela

 

S-T-R-E-T-C-H Yourself

As the year comes to an end, I encourage all of you to join in me in my year end routine.  I reflect on the goals that I set for myself, review my high and low moments and ask myself the tough questions.  It’s a time to have the hard conversations.  As Iyanla Vanzant says “You got to do the work”.  Through these yearly conversations I have uncovered some hard truths and false realties.  But if I wanted next year to be better, I had to be open and honest with myself.

I guess it’s like doing a personal performance evaluation.  In my years of management, I have come in contact with numerous employees that were unable to truly give themselves feedback.  They were reluctant to give themselves praise or criticism.  I often wondered how someone can be so detached from themselves that they are blinded by the good or bad of who they are.

But 7 years ago, I was there.  I would rather turn on the television, criticize my co-worker, church member or friend, instead of working on myself.  Right now, if you focused on someone in your life, I can guarantee that you could find 10 things that were “wrong” with them.  But when you stop focusing on people and problems, you can start working on what you can control-YOU!

Here are some lessons that I’ve learned from 2014:

Being knocked down in life is a given.  Getting back up is a choice.  I have had setbacks.  Things have not always gone as planned.  I always try and drill down to the root of what went wrong.  There were some things that I had the power to change.  And the things that were out of my control, I let it go.  I live by the motto of –what is meant for me is for me.

All my failures are laying the foundation for the life of my dreams.  Failing is a sign that you are trying.  Some of our greatest leaders, innovators and inventors have failed thousands of time.  So I don’t mind being in the failing circle, because I know that my failures are propelling me into the winners circle.

Everyone in life is a teacher for me.  I always ask myself why at this time and place this person has crossed my path.  Some of the most difficult people in my life have been my greatest teachers.  At the time, they were a major pain in my backside. But when I took a minute to stop complaining, I allowed the truth to be uncovered about the purpose they served in my life.

I am worthy of the best my creation has to offer.  Say it with me “I am Worthy”.  You were created for a purpose.  It is your assignment on the Earth.  It is grand and just for you. Never settle for less then what you can be.  I am a living witness that when you open yourself up to your purpose and passion the world opens up for you.

As you begin to reflect on 2014,please share your life lessons with me.  Let’s make 2015 the best year yet!

Dream Killers: How to Spot them and Stop Them

We all have a unique purpose and plan for our existence on Earth.  Our dreams and desires are specifically designed to help us fulfill this purpose in life.  In order to fulfill your purpose and destiny, you must be aware of the people, places and circumstances that are designed to get you off course and give up on your dreams.  DREAM KILLERS!

Dream Killers can be a person,thought or idea that attempts to destroy your dream.  Dream Killers have been known to assassinate the dreams and plans of thousands of people.   The first step is to recognize some of the enemies of your dreams.

Here are some common dream killers:

Failures-There is not one person on this earth that has not failed at something.  What makes or breaks a real winner is the power that you give it. Success is never final and failure is never fatal, unless you let it.  The one indicator that you are trying is that you have failed.  To reach your dreams and fulfill your purpose you must learn to fail up.  This simply means that you use every failure as an opportunity to propel you to your destiny.

Fear-Fear is the #1 killer of dreams.  Fear of failure or for some,fear of success, can be detrimental to your success.    Fear is often not based on reality, but rather the pain, frustration or torment that we associate with past experiences and emotional bondage.  The opposite of fear is love.  Love yourself enough to put fear in its place.  Identify the root of the fear that you are experiencing and start rewriting the horrible mental movie that plays in your head.  Identify fear for what it is-a dream killer!

Energy Vampires-This can come in the form of anything that drains you of the productive and purposeful energy that you need to be the best version of yourself. Author and motivation speaker, Jim Gordon,refers to as “Energy Vampires”.  Here are the common Energy Vampire Perpetrators:

• The victim-the world is always against them
• The Drama Queen-Drama, Drama, Drama-enough said
• Debbie Downers-this person can never be happy
• Jealous Jenn-always wants what someone else has

You are the protector of your own energy.  Surround yourself with         like-minded people, who sup, push and motivate you to achieve your goals.

Equip yourself with the tools and tactics to live your best live now!  Don’t let dream killers murder your dreams.

Visit http://www.thedivamovementohio.com for upcoming events and resources to support your personal and professional development

 

What would you do if You Could Not Fail?

Does your life lack motivation and passion?  When was the last time that you were excited about waking up and attacking the day with enthusiasm?  Have you allowed life and circumstances to suck the passion and purpose out of you?

John Maxwell, a great motivator, speaker and author said that “the courage to fulfill your vision comes from passion, not position”. That’s good news for you, my friend.  No matter where you are in life, whether you’re in a dead-end job or meaningless relationship, it’s never too late to live a life of purpose and passion.

Here a few simple things you can do to live with purpose and passion on a daily basis.

Pursue your passion-Your passion is the fuel that powers your purpose. Consider these questions:

1. What could you do without getting paid?
2. What speaks to your spirit?
3. What gives you peace?
4. What would you do if you Could Not Fail?

After you identify and define your passions, begin feeding and nurturing those passions by investing in activities and thoughts that serve these passions.

Stretch yourself-The average person uses only 10% of their abilities, potential and brainpower.  Learning how to tap into the other 90% is essential to pursing your purpose and passion.  You can have more when you’re willing to give more.

Identify and Eliminate Distractions-Many of us waste valuable time on meaningless activities.  Begin to identify time wasting activities and be the captain of your fate by controlling the use of your time.

Strive for excellence-Notice that I said excellence not perfection.  Excellence is giving your personal best each and every time.  No one is perfect and trying to obtain perfection will be a never ending source of frustration. John W Gardiner said “Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well”. Challenging yourself to excel will build confidence and competence.

Living a life of passion and purpose is vital to having a fulfilled and meaningful life.  For additional resources and tools to help you live your best life visit The Diva Movement website,www.thedivamovementohio.com

The Power of Intentional Living

Wouldn’t it be nice to live a life of choice instead of a life of chance?

You can determine if the life you are living today is the life that you want based on intentional living. Everyday we are faced with choices. The decisions you make today can have a lifelong effect on you,those you love,your purpose,passions and dreams.

Ordinary to Extraordinary

We all have the power to be extraordinary. Intentional living begins to take shape when you combine information,insight and action.  Intentional living focuses on the Five Ps

 

1. Passion

2. Purpose

3. Plan

4. Perspective

5. Priorities

 

Intentional living is like the GPS of your life.  You start with the end in mind. You enter your final destination and your GPS works to get you there in the quickest most effective way. Every choice you make,every word you speak,each person you befriend,should assist you in getting to your final destination.

 

Here are some benefits of living a life of intention:

1. Allows you to make the most out of every opportunity

2. Enables you to discover and embrace life’s lessons

3. Captures the passions of your life to be lived out in the details

4. Challenges you to get out of your comfort zone

 

Start the new year off intentionally.  Join us for our Vision Board Party on Saturday January 25,2014 from 11a.m.-1p.m. At The Westerville Public Library.  Enjoy a fun afternoon as we create a powerful visualization of our goals for the upcoming year.