Oftentimes, there are things we want to do. There are places we want to go. There are goals we want to accomplish that may seem unattainable. Sometimes, when we look at the situation we are in, all those things seem dang near impossible. I get that. How can we dream bigger when we are caught up in just trying to survive, or trying to get through the day or battling health concerns or consumed with worry about what loved ones are going through? Sometimes, it never seems like the right time.  Catalyst All the  reasons we can  breath, light, night, fight, flight, foresight  surging through us, propelling us   forward Listen below now or on your favorite streaming platform ! How do others do it? How do they overcome? How do they make it look easy? First, I think we should acknowledge that regardless of what success we think we see, everyone has their own personal battles, and although they make it look easy, for them it probably was not. Basically, let’s get ou...

Start living your dreams today! Like right now! Or at the very least, let us start moving in that direction. Are you ready to challenge yourself and push yourself beyond your own expectations? I got my Happy Planner today and I am ready to plan out my goals and my baby steps to achieving them. I often have to regroup, reset and reprioritize throughout the year, but something about a new planner gets me a little excited about starting the process over again. Blanks pages signify an opportunity to make changes.  “Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.” —Mikhail Lermontov Goal setting and planning is actually a great way to assist with stress management. Having a direction and a plan grounds your mind and creates intentions. Stay open and flexible with applying adjustments throughout the process.  The goal-setting and planning process is when we collect ourselves and organize the turbulence. Life will always have ups ...

“Stress is caused by being 'here' but wanting to be 'there'.” ― Eckhart Tolle And there is nothing wrong with that. There are many different reasons why stress exists in our lives. The most popular message about stress is that it is bad for you. I do not want to completely contradict that but angle our notions from a different perspective. Unmanaged stress can lead to chronic stress which tends to contribute to unhealthy conditions in our lives. The stress we regularly experience is not necessarily bad. It is a part of our lives. Stress is what happens when we have to shift our thinking and go in a new direction. Stress happens when we have to meet a deadline. Stress happens when we have to run for our lives or plan for a dinner party. Can you imagine life without a little bit of stress? I am already a master procrastinator, and without the energy I get from my stress reactions, I may sit on my butt forever and never put my plans into motion. I love Tolle...

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. - H. Jackson Brown Jr. Be Sometimes we can just be. Be in the moment. Be present. Breathe in the breath of life while listening to our hearts. Taking that time is more than okay. Keep in mind that there are other times we have to step outside of ourselves and be more than we were yesterday. More Some days we need to reach down deep and pull out courage, strength and perseverance to push through whatever tries to hold us back. We gotta do more, move more, talk more, and give more to move ourselves to the next level or even just to get things done. Today This is that day. Every day is the day when we have the opportunity to make a choice to do things differently. Today is the day for us to take a chance. Today we can push ourselves to take an extra step towards more love, goodness, joy, peace, and grace. Knowing and accepting that life ebbs and flows, so what will be needed from also will also increase and decre...

With self-discipline most anything is possible. - Theodore Roosevelt Self-discipline is my mortal enemy. We actually have a love-hate relationship. I would love to have more of it but it is as though it really hates me. I think my next project in life is to read and educate myself on what the self-discipline gurus have to say about it because it is one of those things that evades me completely at times. The thing with self-discipline is that it is supposed to be exercised without seeing the immediate benefits. Self-discipline is an exercise of faith. Do you have faith in yourself and faith in that your efforts will produce the outcome you hope for? The answer should be a resounding yes. When I think of self-discipline, I think of commitment and consistency. We have to stay committed to doing what's right for ourselves regardless of the temptations to do otherwise. In order to do that we have to keep the vision bright. Do not forget the good that you want for yourself. Do not ...

You can do anything but not everything. -Unknown There are times when I would love to conquer the world. I have a list of all of these things that I would like to do in life, goals that I would like to see accomplished. I love it. I love having something to shoot for, another level to aspire to. However, sometimes that list may seem overwhelming and it stresses me out. Talk about self-created stress. It does not even have to be a broad idea either. It can be as small as daily task such as doing house work.  There are times when things get so crazy at my house because I have let them get out of hand, that when it is time to clean it up, I am frozen with indecision due to the amount of work before me. It seems like there is just too much to do and I freak myself out by thinking that I just cannot do it all by myself. Depending on what the task is, that is true. Some things in life cannot be accomplished alone; however some things you may be able to do it alone if you have ...

I view art as an inspirational tool. - Thomas Kincade The arts are the greatest gift that we can experience, receive and/or give to the world. I absolutely love everything about the arts. Theater, music, movies, literature, movement and etc. are all expressions of the gift of creativity that lies within us. Art is not only an expression of ourselves but also a piece of our connection to the world around us in which we can share with others and experience. It is subjective yet personal. If you do not have a special talent or personal preference that you can express in some type of art form, I am sure you have something in the art world that you enjoy, whether it is watching television, reading a good book, listening to a classical piece or simply enjoying the strokes of a painting. We all experience some appreciation from the art world.  We can get inspiration either to create or to live on. Art can give us a different perspective on life. It can give us motivation. The...

Shining Beyonce Shinin', shinin', shinin', shinin', yeah (Shinin', yeah) All of this winnin', I've been losin' my mind, yeah (Losin' my mind) Oh, hold on, hold on, baby Don't (don't) try to (try to) Slow me down (down) Hold on, don't (don't) try to (try to) Slow me down In order to accomplish big things in this life or go for higher goals, we have to have a level of confidence that is not going to allow others to deter us. It is not about taking advice or listening to wisdom, but about blocking out the haters. Sometimes the negativity could come from those that are closest to you, sometimes it can even be yourself. We have to get to a point that we do not let our efforts get dampened by the naysayers. That may mean putting on a great song that gets you motivated and pushing forward like Shining by Beyonce does for me.

Happy Feet Some days I'm not walking in or towards purpose with love and peace, I'm just happy to walk I am big on walking in your purpose or at least working your way towards it. We all have special talents and gifts that once we unlock and realize what they are, we can flourish. Actively engaging and practicing our gifts is like tapping into an infinite well of energy which can lead us to joy and peace. This space is where we can thrive. Even if we are not making a living at it, at the very least we can enjoy the benefits of exercising our gifts and benefiting from  the stress relief it can bring to our lives.

A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere. -Joyce Meyer   I have a few post on the importance of having dreams and goals to our well being and stress levels. This is where we can generate purpose for ourselves and give meaning to our lives in which we can gain a sense of accomplishment. Dreaming and imagining a better life is just what is needed sometimes. I picture life without the exercise of the imagination as a dull and boring place. Dreaming of possibilities is the ultimate use of our ability to create. Dipping into our imagination for a moment helps to take us away from the daily things of life that may stress us out. Linking your dream to an actionable goal would be even better. I completely appreciate the quote because it goes beyond just dreaming up some crazy far away thing that we will never attain. I appreciate it not only because I am a writer and I can transport myself anywhere with my thoughts and #2 pencil or word processor or computer but also because...

Do what today others won't, so tomorrow you can do what other's can't. -Brian Rogers Loop Accomplishment  and reaching our goals is about sacrifice. Everything takes some level of effort from us. How much effort we are wiling to exert is the difference between sitting on the couch in front of the television for an couple of hours and doing something productive towards your goal, something we may no really want to do but is necessary to get to the next level. As much as it is about what we are doing, it is also about what the next person is not doing. Did you know accomplishment is rewarding to our sense of self and well being? The effort we make to get where we are going helps reaffirm our self-esteem when that goal is reached. A strong sense of self is a building block in stress management and stress relief. While getting there may require we step outside of our comfort zone, the reward in arriving there adds to the overall enrichment of our lives. Remember these f...

Accomplishment is a wonderful thing. It makes you feel useful. You have contributed in a way to the space that you live in. Feeling accomplished also boosts our own sense of worth and esteem. That's why even when we have arrived at a goal, we should be prepared to set another. It is not about being dissafisfied but about being invigorated by new challenges. Depending on the goal, we can take joy in striving to achieve it. This gives us purpose. Set new goals and enjoy the journey towards them.

Let your life take sail. You are the vehicle to move  things along. Get motivated, envision your destination and take yourself to where you want to be.

Ava DuVernay’s Netflix film ’13th’ shows how mass incarceration is a form of modern day slavery. The documentary is definitely worth the watch. It is moving and powerful and thought provoking. However, with the political climate as it presently is, it inspired a feelings of disappointment, despair and downright anger. Hands Up, my latest cinquain, best describes how I felt at the end of it. Hands up Shackled in darkness my intelligence is mocked Speak not, breathe not, live not- Be a shadow It breeds disappointment in our fellow human beings. At the same time, I think I should not be so disappointed because people were once enslave, children used as gator bait, people were experimented on and thought of as subhuman because of the different color of their skin. Have we not grown in compassion and empathy? It definitely feels like we have not because greed and selfishness seem to rule the way of the world. I am disappointed in those that only stand by to lend blame, point...

Feeling accomplished is a great feeling. It is liberating.  There is nothing more energy sapping then when you spend your time on something and leave it feeling like you have just been spinning your wheels. It is discouraging and exhausting even. To combat this, set smaller goals within the big one. What's the big dream and what are the little steps towards it. The first step is dreaming it up though. Afterwards,  we can start making moves towards it. What's your liberation dream?