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

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