Maybe You Shouldn't Move On...

I remember being in college from 1999-2005 at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was a pharmacy major which is the reason I spent 6 years in school. I did two years of pre-pharmacy classes and 4 years of pharmacy school. What made me gravitate towards pharmacy was the built-in roadmap that was laid out for me. All I had to do was follow the map and it would lead me to my destination of being a pharmacist.

So, imagine how surprised I was the day I walked into my guidance counselor’s office and found out that I was one class short from being able to apply for pharmacy school. I should also inform you that it was the end of the semester, and I was already packing up to go home for summer break.

“Say what now!” I replied, as I began to look for a paper bag to breathe into. My heart was racing, and I had to tell myself to breathe. I took school very seriously, so I was confused as to how I allowed that to happen. I thought I had followed the program pre-requisites to a tee, but somehow, I missed an important class that was needed for me to get into pharmacy school the next semester.

I did not know what to do, I had never been to summer school. Summer was my favorite time of the year. Summer meant going home to see my family and friends, it meant beach vacations, and time to binge out on television shows and my momma’s home cooked meals. I was so stressed out about having to possibly stay in New Orleans for summer school. But I was even more stressed out about possibly not being able to get into pharmacy school.

To make a long story short- after praying and seeking other options I was able to find a school in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama that offered the chemistry course I was missing. And the school was right down the street from my momma’s house. It was the perfect solution. I could still go home, take the Chemistry class, and still get into pharmacy school in the Spring. Talk about feeling relieved.

I cannot tell you how many other times God came through for me during my college days.

Those were some long days and nights.  I wouldn’t want to go back, but I must admit that it was comforting to know that my path was laid out for me.

I sometimes wish my life was carefully laid out for me in the same way, to where I could pick my destination and just follow a set of preselected steps that would lead to the place of my choosing.

Do you ever feel this way?

If so, I have a little bit of inside information that I want to share with you.

Last year it hit me one day that life is just like college. The reason so many people aren’t graduating and reaching their destination is because they are missing pertinent “lessons” that they need to learn/master before they can move on to the next phase of their life. However, unlike in college, there are no guidance counselors telling them that they can’t move on without meeting certain criteria. So, instead they keep trying to move on to the next thing and wondering why they keep getting nowhere.

It is because life also has pre-requisites.

If you want to get to what God has for you, your inheritance, there are some practical things you must do. For the sake of time, I am going to tell you exactly what those things are in the next blog post.

I can’t wait to tell you more but until then I want to leave you with this thought… maybe you shouldn’t move on just yet.

That’s the secret most people don’t realize. But we will talk more about this soon.

Until next time,

 Tiffany

Are Your Thoughts Working for or Against You? (Video + Blog)

Hey friend,

There’s a popular quote by Henry Ford that says, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” As with most popular quotes, when I hear them, I immediately think of the bible verse that correlates with the quote. This is because no matter how much the world wants to think it is original, nothing is new under the sun. Meaning most of the sought-after thought leaders are really just taking pieces from the Bible, whether they realize it or not.

This Henry Ford quote is merely a variation of the scripture found in Proverbs 23:7 that says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Both the quote and the scripture are correct. Whatever you think is what you are. But it doesn’t just stop there. You see, your thoughts are just one component of a powerful trio, and I guarantee you, if you begin to activate all three components of this trio, your life will shift.

Friend, I didn’t say your life may shift; I said your life will shift if you become diligent about getting these three areas in alignment with the word of God.

Those three areas are:

• Your thoughts

• Your heart

• Your words

 The scripture says as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. However, the heart does not have the capability to think; only the mind can think, which means that your thoughts and your heart are connected. That’s why the Bible says (paraphrasing) above anything else you set out to do, guard your heart because it determines the course of your life.

That means no matter how much you pray, no matter how much you fast, and no matter what type of affirmations you speak over your life, none of that will matter if you don’t guard your heart against the contamination coming to disrupt God’s plan for your life. This is because whatever is going on in your mind is a direct reflection of what is going on in your heart, and eventually, what is going on in your heart will begin to come out through your words.

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45. And that’s it…once you speak curses over your life; your life obeys what you say. You shape your future by the words you speak.

That’s why the enemy works so hard to get us to thinking crazy, fearful thoughts by using circumstances from the past because he knows that if he can get your thoughts and your heart messed up, your words will follow, and his work is done.

To be frank, friend, I’m tired of his rusty bald-headed tail, trying the same ole tried and true tactics to keep us from reaching our purpose. I say no more. Getting this revelation of how this trio can either make or break my life has been instrumental in me moving the needle forward instead of always feeling like I’m moving backwards.

Now I want to share this revelation in a way that I pray moves you forward too. In this video, titled, Negative thoughts/evil forebodings, I explain;

• how this trio either works for or against you

• I go over the positive pattern and negative pattern model to help you learn to switch your thoughts around to work in your favor

• I give three practical and powerful tips to help you gain control of your thoughts

• And lastly, I share a powerful analogy to demonstrate how your thoughts can take you to a destination that is far from God’s original plan.

Friend, it’s time to get your mind right because you have places to go and important work to do. I believe this video will be the catalyst you need to start (or continue) moving in the right direction.

Until next time my friend,

Tiffany

A Simple (yet effective) Formula for Success

Hi Friend,

Anyone that knows me would agree that I love to see people win. I remember one of my good friends saying, “Tiffany, if I sit here and fold this napkin, you are going to cheer me on and tell me I am the best napkin folder in the history of napkin folding, and I love that about you.” (giggle)

Although I love to see people win, I am adamant about there being a purpose behind what you’re working towards. In other words, I want to see you win at goals that are taking you somewhere.

If you are going to “fold napkins,” I hope there is careful planning and intention behind it. For instance, you may be an event planner who is very particular about even the smallest of details, and you are folding napkins to place at the guest tables to wow the guests. You aren’t folding napkins just for the sake of folding napkins. It fits into your plan to offer your client and their guests a special experience.

I’ve learned that success is not accidental; it is strategic and intentional. Many people want to be successful, but very few plan for that success.

I love the scripture found in Proverbs 21:5, which says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. But hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

I took this scripture to heart in January of 2020 because I got tired of spinning my wheels and doing busywork that was leading me nowhere.

So, I started the year at a Rock your Vision workshop, where I wrote out some general goals and a few breakthrough goals that had been spilling over every year that I never completed. In the middle of a pandemic, I achieved every breakthrough goal that I set for myself.

Friend, I am not sharing this to brag about myself (because although I soared in a few areas, I dropped the ball in other areas that had to take a back seat). The truth is although I achieved every breakthrough goal I set for myself, I didn’t achieve every goal I set.

I realize that the reason I hit those specific goals was that I had a P-L-A-N.

And I want you to start this year with a plan too, so I made it simple for you.

Here’s how to commit to your goal(s):

P- Prioritize your time based on your specific goal.

Based on my priority of completing my book, a lot of nights, the dishes were left in the sink, and the house wasn’t as clean as I would have liked it to be. But I had written my goals down, and I stuck with my goal.

L- Limit distractions.
I had to be clear on time wasters and energy-draining activities that stole my time but didn’t get me closer to my overall goal.

A- Accountability.

Accountability is a great way to stay on track. I had to ask a few people to stay on me and remind me to write and not accept any excuses I tried to give.

N- Be aware of what is a need and what is a want.

Sometimes out of fear, we will start thinking about all the things we (think) we need in order to achieve something. Or, we will not start because we feel we lack some important component that we must have before we begin.

I could have easily thought I needed to take a book writing class and prolonged the process even longer, but that would have been fear holding me back out from feeling inadequate. The truth is I didn’t need anything other than a laptop and Microsoft Word to start my book.

I hope this little acronym helps you to simplify your goals.

Do you know what you’re aiming for in 2021? (Leave a comment if you wanna share :))

No matter if it’s spending more focused quality time with your kids and/or spouse, or finding out what foods you may be allergic to, or finally losing the baby weight in order to fit into your pre-baby clothes.

No matter what your goal is, make sure you are intentional about planning to succeed.

I don’t want you out there folding napkins without being able to explain how it’s getting you closer to a specified goal. Don’t nobody got time for that. :)


To your PLANNED success,

Tiffany

Why your goals won't matter until you get these two important areas under control.

Hello my lovely friends,

We're swiftly approaching the month of March!

So tell me, how is your February going?  Prayerfully it is all you planned it to be. 

Did you catch that? I didn't say I hope it is all you wanted it to be, or wished it to be. The key word here is "planned."  

I must admit that I haven't always been a planner, but after spending year after year wondering why I wasn't making much progress, I realized that I wasn't planning for my success.  I was waking up every day going to a job that wasn't so bad, although it wasn't exactly my dream job, then coming home; following the same routine day after day, month after month, and year after year. Determined to do things differently , I broke this cycle by taking control of two important areas of my life. And I'm willing to bet these same two areas of your life may need a bit of tweaking as well. If you are going to be intentional about achieving your goals this year and beyond, you must learn to manage two very important areas of your life:  your emotions and your time.

Managing Your Emotions

Friends, you will NEVER achieve any amount of success in anything if you don't learn to manage your emotions. If your emotions are unstable, and you base your day on what you feel like doing, your life will resemble that same instability. Our emotions can change at any given moment.  The key is to manage them before they manage you. One way to do this is to eliminate options. Decide what you will do beforehand by creating a plan; then choose to stick to that plan, regardless of how you feel. Too often we give ourselves options, and as a result we easily abandon our plan at any sign of resistance that creates negative emotions. Practice placing constraints on allowing your feelings to influence major aspects of your life, and notice the incredible changes you experience as a result.

For example, you are committed to eating healthier and staying on top of your fitness goals. You have your dinner already prepared at home, and your gym clothes in the car for when you get off of work. However, you have a horrible day at work. Your boss is so harsh and unfair and you have just about had it with him and that job. If you have options,  you may choose to allow your emotions to take over, skip the gym, and instead of sticking to your dinner selection,  go to the buffet and eat all of the buttered rolls you can handle; all in the name of "having a bad day." However, if you have decided beforehand to eliminate any other options, other than the one you've already committed to, then you will go to the gym, take your frustrations out on the treadmill, and enjoy the healthy meal waiting for you at home. Believe me, in that moment of passion the buffet may make you feel better, but the next day you will regret letting your emotions manage and control you; not to mention your waistline and your wallet. Can you see how our emotions can hinder us from making any progress?

Managing Your Time

I want you to use the phrase "I don't have time" as much as possible this year.  

"I don't have time" really means "it's not my priority," and contrary to popular belief, it's completely okay to not have time to waste. In fact, if you are not prioritizing what is important from what is not, you will get to the end of yet another year thinking "Where did the time go?" However, if you have a schedule and calendar that you keep throughout the year, it will be easy to look back and see what you did with your time.  Starting now, make a schedule and fulfill the duties on your schedule.  Go ahead and say "No" or "I don't have time" to something that is not a part of your plan. This is being a good steward of your time – your most precious commodity.

Learning to manage your emotions and time will dramatically change how you approach your day. Get these two areas under control, and there is nothing you can't do. Commit to taking charge of your days. It may not happen overnight, but as you begin to apply these principles, you will gradually see positive change and growth.  It won't be easy, but you weren't designed for easy. You were designed to withstand pressure and overcome. You can do this, my friends.

You can. :)

Until next time,

Tiffany