ALL WORDS DO NOT APPLY TO ME

I used to want the words ‘She tried’ on my tombstone. Now I want ‘She did it.’ ~ Katherine Dunham

I LOVE TO READ; it is very relaxing and allows me to drift into another world of no worries.  My 9 to 5 job consumes a lot of my reading time; therefore, I have to rely on audiobooks and podcasts for my drift away time.  Recently I was listening to the February 13, 2020 episode of Steve’s Daily Inspirations on the SHMS Shenanigans Podcast (Steve Harvey Morning Show Shenanigans).  This episode hit the core of my soul.  I stopped to take notes, but later my spirit said “you must blog these notes because someone else needs this just as much as you”.

STATISTICS SAY: while this may sound like good advice, it can set you up for failure.  It’s people who have lost who try to justify why the lost who say “statistics say”.  One the spiritual side, you have to realize this is not scripture (in the bible).

• • • When I heard this, all I could say was WOW! THIS IS SO TRUE!  I have to be honest; I was one who “believed” in statistics because someone took the time to do the research. Ohhhhh but when I entered college, that thinking went OUT THE DOOR and OUT OF MY VOCABULARY.  As an African-American Woman, I am always a “statistic” to the world. While attending Grambling State University, I learned QUICK to change my way of thinking because I was the “statistic” the world said did not attend college.  Here I was enrolled, attending and graduating from one of the top HBCU’s in the country.
    • I do not totally disregard statistics; I do pay attention and conduct my own research. There are positive and encouraging statistics (ex. Entrepreneurship among African American Women is on the rise), while the negative statistics push me to further myself and my community to a better light.

MAYBE IT’S NOT MEANT TO BE; I GUESS IT WASN’T THE LORD’S WILL: Don’t blame God for something you may have not done yourself. Because YOU did not get the proper education, do the things you were supposed to do, stay the task, quit, turned around and went the other way.

• • • I AM GUILTY OF THIS STATEMENT. When things do not work out the first time and someone quotes one/both of these statements to me I respond by saying “Yeah you right” or “Maybe this was meant for someone else and not me.”  I NEED TO STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  I need to re-evaluate the situation, see what went wrong and what I need to do to execute this mission a full 100%.

DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET: If you don’t pour all your efforts into one thing, how are you going to be great at that one thing.

• • • This is another statement that hit home for me. I would hear people saying this when growing up, but never fully understood until adulthood; and it took the children I worked with for me to understand it.  I worked with children who were labeled as having ADHA (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This group of children felt as if they had to do everything to blend in, but in actuality if they remained focused on one task, they were able to master it and move on to the next.  None of their peers really cared if they could not multitask, it was only the adults.  The same adults who used “statistics”.  I learned then, if I don’t put all of my “eggs in one basket” how can I remain focused and master the task ahead.

WHAT IS YOUR BASKET MADE OF? If your basket is made of Faith, Hope, Hard Work, and Belief then you have a GOOD BASKET. Your basket is woven by God

• • • After hearing this, there was nothing more to say! This statement alone canceled all the negativity of the first 3 statements

These gems are not only for my personal life, as I listened all I could vision was my business and the work I was and was not doing mentally and physically.  This entire blog post is will be posted to my affirmation wall as daily reminder.

YES I AM A DREAMER!

YES I HAVE ASPIRATIONS!

YES MY BASKET IS WOVEN BY GOD WITH FAITH, HOPE, HARD WORK, AND BELIEF!

THANK YOU MR. STEVE HARVEY FOR THESE LIFE GEMS THEY ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

*Disclaimer:  These are my personal takeaways from the podcast.  You may check out the podcast on your favorite podcast app.