Chattanooga Readers & wRiters’ Fair Flyer
Lessons In The Heat
The Lesson From The Heat
For the past few weeks, there has been an odor in my house. I was panicking thinking all kinds of craziness. It’s the plumbing, or the sewage, termites in the crawl space eating my house up, etc..
I am allergic to mold and so my house has really began giving me the vapors for the past few weeks. I was frantic.! What on Earth could this be??! Although it is not brand new, my house is less than 10 years old.
Turns out, there is nothing major wrong with my house. The problem is…ME!!!!
Let me explain…
I am hardly ever home so I keep my air conditioner at 75 degrees most of the time. We have had temperatures above 90 degrees most days for the past month.
1) My house is well insulated and is doing what was supposed to do
2) As a result, it is holding the moisture created by my washer and dryer
3) I keep my air conditioner set too high to circulate the air
4) Normal humidity is 50 or below; my downstairs was 78!!!
These conditions were setting up the perfect storm to create mold in my home.
The remediation guy simply turn the thermostat to 70 degree, the humidity started dropping immediately and in three hours wet smell evaporated!
I tell you my story because that is how we look at so many things in our lives.
We think something or someone else is the problem when the TRUE PROBLEM is we haven’t regulated our perspectives the way we should. I gladly paid for the mold inspection and had a good laugh at myself for what I learned today.
Moral of the story: Not all problems are on the outside. Are you internally (mentally) working against yourself?
Do It
I had a wonderful time this weekend serving at The Deeva Code “Women’s Empowerment Brunch” on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at The Peyton. The engagement was sponsored by Ms. Ambera Brown. If you don’t have her in your list of powerhouses, you need to find her and add her quick. She was able to bring together women from as far away as Washington DC to Raleigh and from Cleveland to parts of Mississippi.
When I tell you this event was the highlight of the weekend, followed very closely by my alumni’s 151st weekend celebration…it was all that! I met so many beautiful cultivated sparks who just needed someone to stop back to breathe a breath of fresh air on their spirits so they could move to their next level. These ladies were degreed, educated, dreamers who worked in their various wheel houses inspiring others, but they had forgotten to refuel. That’s what happens when you pour into others, you forget to celebrate yourself.
One of the ladies posted, that they laughed, cried, hugged and bonded during the event. The Empowerment began with a beautiful 27 year old Lauren Hodges inspiring the ladies to dream and have visions. She instructed them not to allow others who had given up on their dreams to jade the visions God had placed within their hearts. I had prayed for a Word from God to give to the ladies and it was in Lauren’s speech that God gave me clarity. My position was to reiterate her message and to begin the work she had given them. Therefore, my message was simple, “Do It,” which was an acronym.
D= Don’t give up on you and don’t allow others to give up on you. People full of doubts and fears are normally hanging around Haters who feed their doubts and fears. When faith is fed, fears starve to death. Stop allowing negative people to use you as the toilet where they dump their messy, drama filled lives at your doorstep. You are not the toilet. Show them where that stuff goes…it has a place. Separate yourself from people who don’t support you! (Now, if these are your husband and children, contact me! This does not apply to them! There’s something else you should consider if you think they are hating on you.)
O= Organize your life, girl! Look at your Circle. There are three types of people in it. The first ones are those who always bring the drama…yep, them. You know them because you just had a flash of them in your head as you read this…they bring it and they bring it every time. Separate from them. You do not need to RSVP every negative situation you are invited to join. The second group are “Sometimers.” Sometimes they are with you and sometimes they are not. Give them the opportunity to correct what they are doing wrong. If they do not, “Bye, Felicia.” Then, there’s that final group…the loyal Ride or Die Group who really rides or dies! These are the “Doers.” Do yourself a favor and get you some Doers. There won’t be many, but that’s ok. If you can find five who are true to you and support you, you are doing well.
I= Invite positivity to your live. Now that you’ve removed all the negativity from your life you have room for the positives. Expect to be upgraded. Where energy goes, energy flows. The Bible tells you to focus on the positives. You have to be what you want to bring into your life and it starts with your mind set. When you change your mind about how you see yourself, you change your world.
T=Tell five people. Write down 3 goals. Set a reasonable deadline and tell five people, preferably strangers. You need to put what you want into the universe and start working toward it. You are empowered to do everything God has assigned you to do in this life. It is your job, your responsibility…as Muhammad Ali stated, “The rent you pay for your stay on Earth.” You have to do the work to get where you were designed to be in your life. It will not be easy and it will not be free, but it is definitely doable and you are definitely capable of making it happen if you throw away the excuses and move toward the light of your intended life.
You deserve your best life, but only you can make it happen. Stay bless and DO IT!
Stay blessed,
Much love, many blessings
Linda
Grad School Summer To Remember
On January 5, 2015, I decided to enroll in an online grad school course. I figured I could handle it since it would only take 14 months and would not interfere with my travel plans. You see, I completed my Bachelors of Science degree in 2011 at the age of 51. I’m very ambitious. There are three things I’ve acquired a fear for in life…rodents, math, and dying to awaken in an eternal Hell.
Little did I know that those beautifully worded classes meant I would have five back to back advance math classes. A younger me would have took the challenge head on, but this much older, great grandma me…she had to take Stat twice! The first time I took Stat, it was a student lead class(keep in mind, I am the student), during the summer. So that you will know, the summer is when all the smart math people leave the college to enjoy their lives. There was not one person who could make me lose the anxiety and panic attacks that seem to be my daily emotion. I spent over $500 trying to find an online tutor and still could not pull it off. Can you say, “EPIC FAIL.”
Failing that, yes a “D” is a fail, meant I will now graduate two semesters behind my original graduation goal date. Double UGH!! My 14-month course will now go into 24 months provided nothing else happens. With my prayer cloth, wishbone, and Holy water, I am set to graduate in 2017 provided all math classes are now behind me. I am currently in a Marketing class this summer. You know what, I’ve been in business for the past three years. Now, I can name what I’ve been doing to get people to “Know, Like and Trust” my business. Who knew?? I sure didn’t. This summer will definitely replace the horrid summer of 2015. Wish me luck!