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Hello MaximizHER

What’s Holding You Back❓

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What are your biggest dreams? Think of the impossible things you’d like to see come into your life—and dream big. Want to give your vision a jumpstart? Start by writing down your goals and then use these questions to make your dreams come true faster.

1. What’s your highest priority in this lifetime?

What’s most important for you to experience, explore or embrace this time around? Maybe you want to travel the world or go to an Ivy League college. Until you can answer this question, your life goals will be off purpose. When your intentions are unaligned with your inner passion, they will lack the power to attract the people and situations necessary to become reality.

Get clued into your true joy. What activities did you enjoy as a child? What are your hobbies now? When your goals are aligned with your soul, synchronicity kicks in to guide you to your target.

2. Is this your dream, or someone else’s?

Are your goals your own choice, or what others think you should strive for? Are you all wrapped up in making other people happy by doing what they want or by fitting into other people’s visions for your life? Do you want to look back in your old age and wish you had followed your passion? Will you regret having “played it safe?”

It’s not selfish to follow your own dreams. Only you can determine what path is right for you. What joy can you share with others if you haven’t given it to yourself first?

3. Are you settling for less than?

Are you resigned to accepting less than your full share of love, health, and success this lifetime? Have you compromised and sacrificed your dream? It’s not too late to change paths and follow your dreams.

Anything short of living your true passions will never make you happy.

4. What will you feel like when you reach your dream?

Imagine that all your dreams have come true. Really focus on that feeling of accomplishment, and let it sit with you. Personal passion fuels a vision. Dive into the thrill and exhilaration of the feeling of living your dream.

The Hawaiian Kahuna say, “Where your creative attention flows, so flows your life.”

5. What steps can you take today toward your dream?

Don’t defer your dream. Set up supports and systems around you to instantly translate your intentions into action. Surround yourself with people who are supportive of your aspirations. Seek out mentors who will encourage you to pursue your goals. Jump on every opportunity that is in line with your purpose and vision.

Are there smaller projects that lead to your larger dream? If the dream is to run a marathon, train for a local fun-run first. And find a way to measure your progress. Track those little wins by writing in a journal or telling a friend.

6. Are you telling yourself: “I can’t have my dream?”

Most people don’t believe they can live their dream. Either their belief system has them believing they can’t make a living doing what they love, or they feel they don’t deserve their dream. To avoid the pain of feeling they can’t have their dream, people often keep their dream so buried they can’t remember they ever had a dream. Keep your dreams at the forefront of your thoughts by reminding yourself every day what you’re striving for.

Everyone has a dream! And everyone is destined to fulfill that purpose. Why wait?

Last Time That I Checc’d

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Last Time That I Checc’d.

I have been told in so many ways that if I’m not an executive by 50 it’s not going to happen. Well maybe that’s true in this realm, current employment situation or even market but in my best Nipsey Hussle voice, “last time that I checc’d” there were no “best if used by” dates in GOD’s plan.

GOD’s promises are HIS promises. PERIODT.

For those feeling that you’re too old and have missed it, I want to remind you that age is never a hindrance to fulfilling the purposes of God. While you still have breath in your lungs and a pulse, God has a plan and purpose for your life.

There is no such thing as being too old to fulfill the purpose for which you were created – just ask Sarah, Caleb or Elizabeth.

No, you and I might not have the access nor privileges like some but the GOD I know specializes in using highly unlikely people to fulfill his purposes – the kind of people others overlook, discard, dismiss or ignore – because it brings Him great glory.
(Go run and tell that!)

Today is a reminder for anyone who’s on a “climb or “grind” you’re not done, it’s not over. Your latter days can be more fruitful than your former.

Keep pressing, keep reaching, keep going. Jesus is worthy of every last ounce of energy expended for HIS Glory on this earth.

As for me, “last time that I checc’d” I’ve only tapped into about 23% of my potential.

Losing Myself

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I’m tired of people places and things. 

There are moments in which I take a serious pause with a jolting stop with the hydraulic actions-Iike a car with switches. Y’all don’t know nothing about that bounce! Ha! Did I tell you that in the 10th and 11th grade my crew wore the blue… and that wasn’t Dallas blue. Well I was more of a friend of the crew or more like a girlfriend of one of the crew. Even then I had much love for being in a community. Quite frankly a lot of my identity came from being “in community”. Whether that being in a social club, sorority, crew, life group aka cliques it’s all the same. But one thing at this seasoned salt age, I’ve really that I’m really tired of people,places and things that require me to lose myself in the process. 

I’ve always felt the pressure to fit in. There’s always been a gap between what I want to be and what I think the world thinks I should be which turned me into a social chameleon. 

I tried to be the person I felt I should be so I’d blend in with those around me, whether that meant spending a Friday night at the club or attending a corporate meeting at the head office it all required dedication. 

So without even realizing it I would change myself, my desires, and sometimes even my opinions to fit into whatever mold was required at the time. But if you’re constantly trying to prove your worth to people, it may be true that you’ve already forgotten your value and that’s where I am today! 

There was always a difference between what I wanted and what I thought I should want—my opinion and the norm of society somehow differed—and I’d always assumed I must be the one off beam.

This leads to a life of sacrificing ourselves to please others, living their dreams at the expense of our own.

Reflection Questions

  1. Are you losing yourself—in work and busyness, addiction to success, pleasing others, trying to be or appear perfect, accepting your cultural programming, following default options, or a relationship?
  2. What will you do, starting today, to bring more of yourself back into your life—to be unapologetically YOU?

Hey MaximizHer! Rise Up!

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The world offers you many solutions to your fear. Anxiety medication, relaxation techniques, psychotherapy exercises or even escapism through alcohol or drugs.

But here’s what God offers you:

Him.

God offers you the peace of His love, the steadiness of His protection, the rock solid foundation of His promise.

And His promise is that if you step into the legend He created you to be, you WILL succeed.

It doesn’t matter what other people say.  There IS greatness in you. God designed you to reach your full potential, to be powerful beyond measure, to have success and joy and abundance in your life.

Don’t let fear make you quit.  Don’t let the terror of what “could” happen affect how you take the next step forward.

As a daughter of Christ you’ve been given the incredible gift of God’s peace. This means you don’t have to let the fear trouble your heart, you don’t have to let the unknown shake your fight.

You can leave it in God’s hands because He knows exactly what He’s doing.  Believe me, sister of Christ, you can do everything God designed you to do.

He knows exactly what He’s doing.

So stop quitting. Stop giving up. Fight your way through the fear. Fight your way through the hardship. Fight yourself through the struggle.

Trust in God’s peace, trust in God’s strength, trust that you are BIGGER than any fear trying to get in your way.

You are BIGGER than any fear standing in your way.

You CAN do this.  It’s your season to rise!

Affirm Yourself Sis!

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Affirmations are a self-help strategy used to promote self-confidence and belief in your own abilities. 

You’ve probably affirmed yourself without even realizing it by telling yourself things like:

  • “All I can do is my best.”
  • “I’ve got what it takes.”
  • “I believe in my ability to succeed.” 

These simple statements help shift your focus away from perceived failures or inadequacies and direct your focus toward your strengths — those you already have and those you

want to develop. 

But do they actually work? Kind of. 

Affirmations generally work as a tool for shifting your mindset and achieving your goals, but they’re not a magic bullet for instant success or healing.

For example, you might replace a negative or anxious thought, like:

  • “I’m so terrible at interviews. I’m probably not even as qualified as the other candidates. There’s no way they’ll hire me, I should just leave.” 

With a positive affirmation:

  • “I have all the necessary skills and experience, and I’m the perfect candidate for this job.”

Using affirmations may help you feel more relaxed before your interview, and knowing you’re fully prepared can also help you avoid self-sabotaging thoughts or behaviorspotentially interfering with your success.

Remember, action is key

Repeating an affirmation can help boost your motivation and confidence, but you still have to take some action yourself. Try thinking of affirmations as a step toward change, not the change itself. 

Consider that nosy co-worker who always asks questions about your personal life. You don’t want to say anything to offend, but you also have no intention of answering their questions.

An affirmation like “I can remain calm even when I feel annoyed” might guide you to a habit of deep breathing or grounding exercises when you start to feel your blood boil. 

These tactics, combined with your affirmations, help you get through the stressful moment until you can politely make an escape. 

The affirmation didn’t make the change, you did. But it did offer a starting point. 

Girl Speak Up!

Girl, Speak Up!
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV

God’s blessings to us are not meant to end with us. His desire is that they flow to others. One of the reasons I became a life coach was to help women, especially women of color navigate spaces and ecosystems by providing guidance, support, sisterhood and covering. Whether you have the professional status or the influence to be a true sponsor of someone’s work, you can always opt in to advocate for a peer or colleague by shouting out their good work when you see it. One of the biggest acknowledgments you can give is to endorse their contributions in meetings by giving credit where credit is due. Literally it costs you nothing to mention good work when you see it, because when you do that you can literally shift the environmental work culture towards acknowledgement, amplification and positive reinforcement for women and specifically women of color in your professional network. But why as women, can’t we consistently celebrate each other authentically and unapologetically without having any underlying motive? I often tell my mentees that there are enough seats at the table for all of us to sit comfortably. And if not, build your own table. But if you’re like me, someone who is tired of sitting at the kid’s table each and every year hoping to graduate or better yet get elevated, then allow this day to be your confirmation and you just say “screw it,” and go to your nearest lumber store and get some planks of wood, a box of nails and rent a few power tools and start constructing your own table.
When you speak up, doors can open for you and for others. When you speak up, names can be brought forward. When you speak up, opportunities become attainable. As former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama once said, “So many of us have gotten ourselves at the table, but we’re still too grateful to be at the table to really shake it up. It’d be nice to have a collective of black women who are opening up spaces for each other, or making strategic moves to raise the visibility of black women within the industry, and not just who’s on the cover of the magazine but behind the scenes too.” Supporting women means you’re being intentional about how you show up in life and business. Showing up means you’re mentally present while listening and speaking up for yourself as well as others.

Be an Esther in someone’s life today because maybe you’re in the role that you’re in or have the title in front of your name for such a time as this! Take opportunities and moments that have been provided to you and reach back and pull someone forward. It is a blessing to be a blessing to others.

Speak up and show up, girl!

Stay_Calm_and_Carry_On

Stay Calm & Carry On

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Keeping calm during stressful times is sometimes easier said than done. The constant thought of whatever it is that is stressing us out continues to linger in the back of our minds, and we just can’t seem to shake it.

Keeping calm during these stressful situations can be a task within itself, but it’s not impossible! So how do you manage to keep your cool and not blow your top during your most stressful times? Here are 4 ways to remain calm during stressful situations. Keep reading to find out how!

How to Remain Calm During Stressful Times

Be Grateful

Gratitude is key. Whenever you begin to feel stressed and down and out, remember what you’re grateful for. When you feel and express a sense of gratitude, you’re allowing your mood to shift from negativity to positivity. Overall, this increases your well-being and may even help you to forget whatever it is you were stressed about in the first place. By beginning each day with a grateful and calm spirit, it will make it even easier to remain calm and reduce your stress level.

Keep a Positive Perspective

Along with being grateful is practicing positivity. When stress occurs, it may allow your mind to shift your perspective to an extremely negative outlook. If you begin to feel your mind shifting from positive to negative, stop yourself the moment it happens, and let go of your negative thoughts as you refocus your mind on all things positive. Positive thoughts tend to distract your mind from the stressful situations that may be occurring around you and will keep your mind in check.

Slow Down

Slow down before deciding to act on whatever it is that’s stressing you. Allow patience to take over and collect your thoughts and emotions before responding or acting on the situation. Even if you have to have a small pep talk with yourself before deciding on how to handle the situation, then do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t act on impulse, but that you allow yourself to collect your thoughts before saying or doing anything you may regret later. This will allow you to remove all emotions and enhance your ability to make decisions.

Disconnect

When all else fails and you want to remain calm in stressful situations, pull away from the situation. The time that you’re away will give you time to process what took place, and how you want to approach it with a clear and fresh perspective. The less emotionally attached you are, the clearer your mind will be as your first goal is to always remain calm.

These four tips presented on remaining calm during stressful times is so important right now, especially with the current climate of our world.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed out, make sure you follow these 4 ways to remain calm and let us know in the comments below, other tactics you enact to make sure you keep calm and carry on!