The Underground Railroad, are you still using it?

Ok so you encounter a problem or a situation that stops you in your tracks.  What do you do? Our natural human instincts immediately tell us to either stand and fight or take flight.  We either stand and take it on or we get the “Ham sandwich” out of dodge. If we choose to take flight some may say that its fear. Which could be true, but its not always the case.  Sometimes you truly have to take that Underground Railroad to resolve that problem or situation. 

When you hear Underground Railroad you immediately think about slavery.  In your head You probably have a vision  of a rugged Harriet Tubman with a rifle pointing north and people looking like they were dragged through the mud standing behind her.  The Underground Railroad was so much more than that.  It was a network of sources that was in place to help with the journey.  The moral of the story is “you can’t do it alone” sometimes you have to ask for help.  Because, as I stated earlier you just got to get the ham sandwich out of dodge, or in other words you have to make a change and you will need help with the journey.

Asking for help does not mean you have failed, asking for help is the bravest move you can make. Asking for help not because you are weak but because you want to remain strong.  Those slaves that took the underground railroad to freedom are truly heroes.   What would America look like today If those brave souls had not decided to get out of dodge and make a change and accepting the help to do it.

Don’t be afraid to take the Underground Railroad when problems and situation arise. Ask for help and accept the help, be it from a friend, relative, or a stranger. 

Check out this video it will totally change your perspective!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.......

Did you know that the song “RESPECT” has two versions? This song was actually written by Otis Redding in 1965, but the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin brought it to life in 1967.  Otis’s version of this song is a plea from a desperate man who will give his woman anything she wants as long as he gets his respect when he comes home.  Franklin’s version is a declaration from a strong confident woman, who demand respect because she know who she is and  that she has everything her man could want. So, whose version tells the true story of respect? Respect can come in many shapes and forms. I believe respect manifest itself from authenticity and intention.

My mom was a poised, confident woman.  She was very classy in everything that she did.  She was not a loud person. Very seldom did she yell at us.  She just said what she had to say and that was that. Her yay was yay and her nay was nay. She spoke softly and carried a big stick. The big stick was respect. With mom, free will was always a given.  She never made statements such as “if you don’t pick up your toys, I’m going to spank you”.  Her statement would be simply “pick up your toys or get a spanking” and because of previous experience of knowing that her yay meant yay and her nay meant nay we simply had a choice from that point on. My mom’s demeanor demanded respect from us. Her intentions were motivated by love and she knew who she was and the position she held.

In today’s society, it’s easy to find yourself trying to earn respect by doing or by giving a part of yourself away.  Respect is something that you should not have to try and make happen.  Knowing yourself and just being who you are should be enough.

Learn to relax, be yourself, in the words of Dr. Seuss “those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. 

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Authenticity, find it and live better

Are you trying to force a square peg into a round hole? Are you trying to function in abilities you don’t have? Comparing yourself to others or conforming to others expectations are traps to still your joy and they distract you from your intended being.  Just because its trending and everybody is doing it doesn’t mean it’s for you. Focus on what you know you can do and develop that to its fullest potential.  

Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have.  It's a practice-- a conscious choice of how we want to live.  Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make everyday. It's about the choice to show up and be real.  The choice to be honest.  The choice to let our true selves be seen.  Brene Brown. 

We all have our place in this life.  Live Authentically and live better!

Don’t know where to start? Ask yourself these questions.

1.     What do I really enjoy doing most?

2.     When do I feel the most alive?

3.     What am I doing when I lose track of time?

Watch this video it will make your day!

Is your life similar to the Energizer Bunny?

Stop in the name of Love before you break my heart, think it ooh-over, think it Oooh-Over, stop! 

Life has us going, going, and going. We are over here, over there, we just seem to be everywhere.  Sometimes we feel as though the more we do the better life will be.  We strive to reach that perfect something we call success.

However, we go, go , and go never taking the time to REST, so your SOUL can catch up with our body.  Life teaches us all sorts of lessons, but are we really listening.  We must stop and listen and let the lessons really sink into our souls.  As we go, go, go habits form and regular routines set in, and we don’t take the time to really understand why we are really doing a thing. Sometimes those habits are not good habits. Those regular routines are not really necessary and are taking away from what we really should be doing. We must learn to make the time to  stop and listen to the soul to know and understand ourselves and our intentions. 

Did you know that the heart was originally designed to be our compass in life. However, distortion due to hurt, pain, and society as a whole seeped in and it has made us afraid to follow our heart.

Learn to Relax, Enjoy, Appreciate life

Watch the below TedX video as Professor Sharon Fries-Britt explains about cultivating the imprint of your soul.