Criticism

“Some people are brought into your life to be mirrors, to show you behaviors and habits that need to change.” -Mandy Hale

It takes being reflective and open to be able to receive these constructive criticisms when they do come.

It's good to be checked often; that way we don't feel so right all the time :)

Happy Friday good people! 

Hand, Clay & Wheel

In our discussion yesterday, we found that often times, there is a place where we get to when we know that God is doing something in our lives but we really don't know what it is. We feel the pull, the pruning, the challenge, the disappointment, the uneasiness, the fear, the pain.....but we don't know what it all leads to.

Imagine yourself in the potters hand and His hands on you - molding and shaping you into something. It isn't quite visible yet what that something is but it's in the works. Only the potter knows what He is doing.  

However, as the clay on the wheel, our job is to surrender to the potters will; trust in the motion of the wheel, believe that what we will turn out to be is nothing but good and rest in the knowing that God is the greatest Creator and has never failed in His works, and has our best interest at heart. Always know that He will never leave us nor forsake us -and that ladies, is the great promise! 

The sooner we get this, the better we get in challenging times and the stronger we become overall. 

Free

“Don’t use the past as an excuse to miss out on your future.” -Alan Cohen

It is in the past, it's over with, it's where it needs to be, it is yesterdays problem.....and tiday, you are free, alive, victorious, focused, smart, delivered, unique and beautiful.

Don't drag those negative and depressing days along. It's too heavy and bothersome! 

Walk in total freedom.

Something else

“Sometimes there are things in life that aren’t meant to stay. Sometimes change may not be what we want. Sometimes change is what we need.”

It takes maturity and peace of mind to know when something just isn't working out any longer; and having the strength to walk away - no matter what.

Never settle for the now, and take the emotional, verbal, physical or mental abuse all in the name of having something - whether it's a job, a relationship or a place to stay. 

What's best for you is your sanity and growth and if your current situation isn't moving you towards that, then it might be time to prayerfully excuse yourself and your bright and promising future away from the temporary oppression.

Just a thought....

Right or wrong

I present myself to you in a form suitable to the relationship I wish to achieve with you - Luigi 

Everyone does this in a relationship. We only give to the relationship what we want to get out of it. This isn't necessarily a negative thing. It can really be positive if we give truly of what we can and feel the other person deserves and needs. But if we only pour in what we want, then we will only get back what that brings. 

Every relationship/agreement/commitment will automatically be withdrawn from wherever we deposited the time, effort, attention, patience, grace, loyalty, faithfulness, compassion, love, money, and so on or the lack thereof.

Determine within yourself if you are in the right or wrong relationship. It'll do you good to know now. 

For the better

Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people - Arthur Schopenhauer

This statement is very true! The way we act, think, react, respond, feel, practice ...all comes from somewhere that has/had to do with how or what someone else has done to us. Whether we want to admit this or not, it's right! 

Maybe you are one of those super strong personalities that believes "there is nothing about someone else that can change how I feel" or "my attitude isn't based on what someone else said to me" or "I don't need them to make me feel any certain way". 

The truth of the matter is that yes, you don't sway back and forth based on someone else's mood BUT the way you are today is correlated to a direct or indirect action to you from another person. 

And even if you are on the other side of the spectrum, you are also affected by this because you may well know that your make-up in this season is a result of some action or emotion from someone else.

Whatever the case may be, figure out within yourself the best way to overcome it (if it is not for the better already).

It's possible :) 

The Discussion

Hello ladies,

Righteous Woman has a new ministry called "The Discussion".

It's a conference call for all women who want to be real, open, share, learn, pray, listen, relate to each other and much more. 

You are officially invited to call in and be a part! 

Invite others and lets change the world together ...one woman at a time! :)

Conf call#: 712-432-1500

Access code: 1026847#

When: Every Wednesday

Time: 7:30-8am (PST)

It takes attention

A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them - Liberty Hyde Bailey

And so it is with everything that we want to grow progressively. Relationships, friendships, etc. If we want things to change for the better, or to be different, then the remedy is time, attention, effort and extra TLC. 

Plan

Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

Be careful what thoughts you entertain. Be it positive or negative, it'll definitely lead you somewhere. 

The plan is to prepare yourself for where it takes you. No surprises 

This moment ...

Give yourself up to this moment. Dare to see it. Now look down at your feet; slip out of those invisible tethers. Then ask: Where would you take yourself right this moment if you walked toward your most heartfelt dream? What would your life look like? What would your body look and feel like? What level of energy would you have? What might be your favorite activity? What would your daily life include? Imagine happiness -- the sweet glow of inner contentment, the way it tastes and smells and feels - Chris Downie

Happy Monday folks!!! 

Crossroad

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Those who look outside, dream. Those who looks inside, awaken.“

Carl Gustav Jung 

There will come moments when you are at some major crossroads of your life and will be faced with making strong decisions that can either better you or slow you down a few more years.

Crossroads are life-changing moments that require prayer, wisdom, lots of thought, cautious conversations, silent listening moments, mental stability and a sense of peace. Without these, one can make emotional decisions that can't be reversed. 

If ever found here, it's better to apply the steps above before voicing a decision; because the worst thing to do is make the wrong move out loud! 

Big impact

“I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time - just one, one, one. So you begin. I began - I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand....The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one, one.“

- Mother Teresa

It's the little things we do for the "little" people around us that make them big people one day with big hearts that you once planted a small seed in.

Pay attention to those little life changing moments; don't despise them. For they make all the difference in the world. 

Service

Do all the good you can, and make as little fuss about it as possible - Charles Dickens

Doing something good for someone else is all about you bring selfless and giving service. It's not to criticize the situation while expressing how much of a better job you would have done; or to self-evaluate the process, looking for obvious mistakes. 

Giving someone your time takes patience, no complaining, and sacrifice; because the ultimate goal is for you to step out of your comfort zone and do something good for them. It certainly may or will not be the way you do things but as you serve them, you'll find their happiness surface. 

Perfection

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it - Maya Angelou 

Just because you failed in one or a few things, doesn't qualify you as a failure. 

Perfection doesn't exist; it's just not of this world. However, the striving to be perfect is doable but also leaves room for little mistakes and hiccups here and there. 

Learn from those imperfect moments, as they make you stronger next time. Listen to your inner strength for it'll keep you fueled for your life's lessons. 

True

Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable - Peter F. Drucker

Don't conform to the way it looks or the appearance of what it should be or what's mostly popular right now....

All that can be very temporary and not a good representation of who you are or called to be. 

Be true to you, do what's right, keep your foundation solid and let God take you places.

Happy Friday! 

Strength

All Strength Comes From God

It is so refreshing to know that we can rest in the strength and comfort that God will provide when facing troubles of many kinds. Let Him have the glory and show himself strong. 

2Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 

God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf. Surrender to Him today and let the peace that He gives you take over. We cannot fully serve God without fully surrendering to his Strength.

Strength must start and end with God. It is the power and strength that comes from God that carries us on. As Christians we need to surrender to the strength that God provides and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 

Be encouraged in that it is not your strength that is needed but the strength that God willingly supplies.

Your time

It takes a noble man to plant a seed for a tree that will some day give shade to people he may never meet - D. Elton Trueblood

You may not always see the harvest of seeds you've sown, but nevertheless, sow it anyhow. 

You will never know how your efforts today may bless someone else tomorrow, so put 100% into all you do.

You may have that friend that you have been trying to help get out of a situation for a while, but nothing is happening (at least not to you). Do not give up, keep pouring in. Change may not happen now, but when it comes, they'll thank you for it - whether you are there to witness it or not.

Your time, money, efforts, prayers, thoughts, phone calls, texts, emails, visits, attention, and presence are and will never be in vain....

Possibilities

With love and patience, nothing is impossible - Dr. Daisaku Ikeda

We all have that one thing that we absolutely love to do but it doesn't always happen right away for some of us. The in-between stage is the most difficult season.

What you do in the meantime is crucial. Do you complain? Persevere? Get coaching? Give up? Resent? Hang on? Train yourself? Enhance your skills? Get depressed? Despise your season? Educate yourself? Be patient? ....

Best thing to do is wrap positive and victorious thoughts around your dream and goals; do what you need to do to get to where you need to be; and then wait! 

That great big door that only God can open and no man can shut is on its way! 

Believe it.... 

Our deepest fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“

- Nelson Mandela 

Maturity

A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life - Muhammad Ali

I had a conversation with one of my sisters yesterday about how interesting it is when some people who you've known for a while still operate in the same mentality as they did 10,15 years ago.

Its kind of sad...

If you run into a friend that you haven't seen in a long time, it'll be nice for the relationship to build into something today, but you really cannot do that if one or both of you are still childish at heart. Meaning, no one wants to hang out with a 40-something year old who you used to go to high school with, if their personality still thinks they are in high school today. At some point, life should have matured you up some. Right??

Part of it too is a choice. How much time do you want to invest in such friendships/relationships? Yes, you could have a few moments of reminiscing on how great it was back then, but when the conversation shifts to the world today, you'll have a huge disconnect. 

Choice is yours ... 

Dream

You've got to have a dream, if you want to have a dream come true - unknown So simple yet profound!!! Dreams are to be had and to be lived out.... But just having a dream and doing nothing about it , literally keeps it in its dream state. OR, hoping that things will change for you when you haven't even dreamed of another place. In other words, you need a reference point, a target, a plan so that execution isn't so far fetched!