Category: Alignment

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Ok Break This Up & Get Back to Work

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

  In an ever-changing work culture, my prayer is that things will be fair for all people. Understanding that we are uniquely and wonderfully made and all experiencing life together but differently, fairness varies for each individual. I ask for your divine intervention that can move obstacles out of the way that hinder us from reaching our full potential. Give us a testimony oh God. Help us move from conflict to resolution and from chaos to peace. Help us find the assistance that we need to be impactful, productive and prosperous. It is so, In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Value: Fairness

Exhibit the value of fairness at work today by encouraging mutual respect amongst your team. Interact with your employees and colleagues in a way that makes them each feel seen, valued and heard.

Self-Care Tip of the Day:  Actively Listen

Listen to genuinely connect with others and not to respond to what they are saying. Alleviate a little pressure by leaving your superhero, problem solver cape at home for the day.

Daily Professional Goal:

Be transparent in business processes and eliminate any unfair practices.

In the news:

Has your company culture shifted to keep up with changing times. Have the rules in your office become more stringent as the world tries to compete with the fast-paced nature of AI?

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is ruffling feathers over at Google by no longer allowing employees to air their personal agenda at work, and he is placing business back at the top of the company’s list of things to do. Twenty-eight employees were recently fired after staging an in-office protest that aimed to demonstrate their freedoms to assembly and speak. While this type of demonstration has been welcomed in the past and has moved the company to take action in support of their employee’s points of view, those days have seemingly come to an end.

Pichai pinned the following message in a memo to his staff, “This is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics.”

Reports state this change of culture is happening because AI has business leaders stressed as they attempt to strategize and keep up. This is quite a mixing bowl of occurrences, if we combine this change in culture with the recent ban of non-compete agreements, which allows employees to freely move between companies and take their valuable skills into the workforce and start their own companies.

This is quite the conundrum. I will certainly stay tuned in to see how this all plays out. Learn more about what’s happening at Google by clicking here.

Tips for advancement:

Model behaviors that set the tone for your day and your team.

  • Healthy work habits

  • Encouraging teamwork practices

  • Positive communication

 

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This Morning I Met a Fairy

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

 Your word says that I am uniquely and wonderfully made. Knowing this, I ask for wisdom and discernment to allow my unique gifts to shine through. I thank you for welcoming spaces and removed timidness. I thank you for open dialogue and room for growth and acceptance. I thank you for those much-needed nuggets of wisdom that keep me motivated and moving in the right direction. Lead me oh Lord, In Jesus Name. Amen.

Value: Uniqueness

Embrace your uniqueness by knowing what sets you apart from the crowd. How are you different, and what can you do to use that to your advantage?

Self-Care Tip of the Day: Speak Your Truth

What is your truth? What makes you happy? What brings you joy? What brings tears to your eyes?

It’s important to know these things about yourself and to embrace them. After your confident with who you are, Speak on it! Let others know who you are and what you stand for?

Daily Professional Goal:

This morning, I attended a networking event, and the role that I chose to present was Melissa Rivers, the Corporate Consultant. After a few introductions and hearing others share about their business, I began to adjust my narrative. See, I am so much more than a corporate consultant, I am a Creative Peace Coach. I often bypass sharing my self-assigned title because most people don’t get it. I learned today that the “get it” is in the story and not the title. One of the people that I met this morning stated that her cover page on LinkedIn is a Fairy because it truly represents her attitude and demeanor, and she chooses to show up authentically. After returning from my networking event, I updated my LinkedIn Cover and job title to Melissa A. Rivers, Creative Peace Coach. I bet if you google, you will not find another.

The truth is, I help highly exhausted, overwhelmed professionals find peace by taking inventory of where they currently are in life and work, the challenges they face each day and then take action to add more peaceful moments to their daily routine. That’s me, that’s what I do, and it brings me great joy!

Tips for advancement: Show up Authentically

Don’t allow fear to keep you stuck in a position or with a title that doesn’t fully represent your uniqueness and authenticity.

 

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You’ve Got to Be More Careful

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help me to walk in authority this week. Show me how to present myself, my work and my business with integrity. Place me in spaces that value my insight and welcome my input. Give me discernment to act in accordance to your will for my present and future, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Value: Integrity

Exhibit the value of Integrity by being honest, truthful and consistent with your words and actions.

In the News:

Have you heard the news about Netflix and Facebook’s alleged secret agreement which allowed Netflix to access private user conversations from Facebook Messenger? If not, read all about it by clicking here. This story is still developing, however, if you’re having in-depth conversations in Messenger that you hope to keep confidential, you might want to go ahead and logout!

In my opinion, this action violates every code of ethics and lacks integrity. What do you think Netflix will do with your conversations, if in fact this article is true. Do you think this agreement between the two mega enterprises is acceptable? Leave a comment and let me know you thoughts.

Next Steps to Take: Protect Yourself on Social Media

  • Avoid clicking unfamiliar links. Be sure to double-check and verify

  • Don’t share personal information with strangers

  • Only use public Wi-Fi when it is secure

  • Use a VPN

  • Avoid public Charging Stations and USB Ports

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Mobilizing Capital for Black Maternal Health

Prayer: 

Dear Lord,

Today’s prayer is for anyone who feels unseen and excluded. I ask you to heal and protect them as only you can. Help them to know that they are loved and appreciated. Restore where restoration is needed, heal all wounds, seen and unseen. This is my prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Value: Recognition

Embrace the value of recognition to let others know that you value them and their contributions. Recognition raises awareness and encourages inclusion.

Self-Care Tip of the Day: 

Live!

Guess what? You are not on this planet to listen to the negative thoughts that try to consume you. You are here to live.

Do whatever becomes necessary to protect your peace. 

Blockout the intrusive thoughts, delete the negative post, close social media. Whatever it takes to make you feel at ease, do those things.

Daily Professional Goal:

Make an intentional effort to recognize the people who play an important role in your professional life. If you have a coach or mentor that made a big impact on your life, choose today to send them a nod of thanks. A handwritten thank you card or a phone call would serve as the perfect recognition. 

In the news:

April 11th -17th is Black Maternal Health Week. This time is dedicated to advocating for the elimination of maternal mortality. Maybe you read the story or saw the headline about Krystal Anderson, the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader who died after delivering her stillborn baby. Mrs. Anderson developed an infection and died from complications of Sepsis, on March 20th, 2024, at the age of 40.

One of the reasons this story caught my attention was because my grandson was stillborn or born at rest on March 21st, 2024. It was terrifying as a mother to watch my daughter endure the level of physical and emotional pain that she suffered. Similar to the headline shared above, my daughter suffered complications and was hospitalized for a week.

Secondly, as a woman, I felt immense sorrow for her as woman who was experiencing such a traumatic loss. I searched for words of comfort but woman to woman, I knew her heart would be changed forever after this event.

While I honor my G-Son and the life that could have been, I thank God that my daughter is still here, recovering and getting stronger by the day. If you pass me on the street and I burst out into spontaneous praise, just know that I have a lot to be thankful for.

Finally, I share this information as a business topic because it needs more recognition. Women professionals face these challenges frequently, and more needs to be done to raise awareness and recognition of this issue.

Today, April 15th is designated for Mobilizing Capital for Black Maternal Health. To learn more about this initiative and the remaining events planned for the week, click here.

To read more about Krystal Anderson’s story, click here.

Tips for advancement:

  1. Don’t wait until a special occasion to recognize the important people in your life

  2. Be authentic and sincere with your recognitions

  3. Let your recognition be as loud as the contribution or effort that was put forth. Don’t be afraid to be loud with your recognition.

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Kindness Never Goes Out of Style

This week has been amazing. I’ve made great strides to grow my network, better align my services and intentionally practice self-care. My family is blessed and healing in the right direction, work is fabulous and getting better by the day and I feel stronger and more confident in who I am.

For today’s blog post, I am posting about the value of Kindness.

Since Friday is not a regular workday for me, I am using this post for a connection moment. Maybe that will be a new theme for us, (we’ll see).

Kindness is one of those attributes that never goes out of style. It’s like your favorite pair of sweatpants or a comfortable hoodie. Kindness is warm, inviting and protective. There’s simply not enough of it being generated lately. On social media and in real life, you see people bickering back and forth with one another, expressing feelings of hate and rage.

It’s too much.

I’m setting my clock for 10:40 am, to stop what I am doing and go to God in prayer.

Why 10:40am?

Psalm 5:3 says, ““In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

Will you join me? Will you help me pray for kindness to be restored on earth as it is in heaven?

My prayer for today is for Kindness to resurface. I pray that God will touch the hearts and minds of everyone to stop with their own motives and agenda and pick up his. I pray that we are reminded of the goodness of God and how it can cover a multitude of sins. I pray for goodness and mercy to chase us down and be forever present in our relationships. I pray for a peace that passes all understanding and every void that exists be filled with love & kindness. God, I pray that those who feel forgotten and left out are reassured of their worth and significance.

This is my prayer today, in Jesus Name. Amen

Have a great weekend and I will see you back, on the blog this coming Sunday.

http://www.originsofpeace.com

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What Now? US House Office of Diversity and Inclusion to be disbanded

Being proud of the work that you perform plays a huge part in your overall happiness. Start your day with a heartfelt prayer about the value of meaningful work and then take intentional action to thrive in your strengths and authentic skillset. 

Prayer:

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to perform meaningful work. For so long I felt trapped in a cycle of unfulfillment and sacrifice. I am grateful for deliverance from this cycle and thankful that meaning and intention are at the foundation of who I am and all that I have to offer.

Value: Meaningful Work

Performing work that is meaningful provides a sense of purpose, makes you feel connected to something bigger than yourself, and helps you shine personally and professionally

Self Care Tip of the Day: Forgive yourself

Forgive yourself for the times you behaved in a way that betrayed your true identity. Release the need to always respond in survival mode. Give yourself permission to live and thrive.

Daily Professional Goal:

Understand what your strengths are and use them to make an impact.

Take the High 5 Strengths Test at: HIGH5 – Take The Strengths Test (high5test.com) 

In the news:

Due to increasing attacks from critics and Republican lawmakers, the office of Diversity and Inclusion has closed. The office was responsible for helping to ensure that the United States Congress embodied a qualified and representative workforce that reflected the diverse demographics of our country. This office has now transitioned to the Office of Talent Management. 

What are your thoughts about the closing of the Office of D & I? What do you think is the best strategy for effective representation, of all US Citizens.

Click here to read more about this topic.

Tips for professional advancement:

  • Don’t allow yourself to be placed in a box

  • Seek opportunities that uplift you and allow you to use your total skill set.

  • Engage in mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, that allow you to explore different career opportunities

 

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Is Being Liked More Important Than Being Good at Your Job?

How to use this information: Use this resource to help add structure to your day and maintain a sense of peace when things become overwhelming. Start your day with a heartfelt prayer and then leverage your strengths and values to create a strong personal and professional strategy when life and work become exhausting. 

Prayer:

As the new week begins, I pray for opportunities of promotion and advancement in my work and healing and restoration in my family. With a keen focus on friendship, self-care and productivity I pray for minimal distractions, released guilt and ample opportunities to generate wealth. I pray for open doors that have remained closed and mountains of opposition to be removed. Lead me down a clear path to profitability.

Value: Friendship

Embrace the value of friendship to prevent isolation and loneliness and celebrate good times. Friendships can also provide support during bad times and increase your sense of belonging & purpose.

Self-Care Tip of the Day: Release feelings of guilt around self-love

It’s common for black women to experience feelings of guilt when it comes to doing the work to improve your well-being and take care of yourself. Society is great at making us feel like we are not deserving of good things unless we’ve worked ourselves tirelessly to receive them.

“She doesn’t beg, force or chase. She works, prays and has faith.”

Grab your journal and write down any feelings of guilt that arise when you take steps to take care of yourself. Ask yourself when and where did you learn to put the needs of others ahead of your own.

In the News:

In the Op-Ed, “It’s Time to Admit That Being Liked Is More Important Than Being Good at Your Job,” by Jasmine Browley, some very valid points were made about how you show up in various spaces and how that can affect you both positively and negatively in your personal and professional lives.

Read the post below and let me know your thoughts

There’s much to be said about being likable.

It seems simple enough, but if you are a thought-provoking person with a mission to improve the norm and positively affect society by speaking on discrepancies and injustices, you might find out that you are not liked much at all. You might be respected, but probably not liked.

As a professional woman who has dedicated her adult career to effecting change, resolving conflict and coaching for more efficient outcomes, I can admit that I absolutely love to help break down barriers and generate solutions that make things easier for others. My life’s work can be summed up in one simple biblical verse, “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you (me) live at peace with everyone.” This verse fuels my passion to diligently work in the space of excellence, BUT that also comes with a high, personal price tag.

During a conversation with a friend, I was left thinking about how I present myself to others. She told me that I was not very approachable and that I do not give off a warm and fuzzy feeling. We were talking about relationships, and I was excited about a new potential dating relationship.

It was the first time that anyone shared this information with me, about me, and it made me think about my relationships, the various circles that I am involved in, and how I show up in each situation.

Professionally, I often show up as an individual contributor with a neutral perspective. This helps me navigate through issues with ease to generate solutions for challenges that affect multiple parties, BUT what I’ve learned is that my neutrality often spills into my personal, social engagements too.

Admittedly, it can be hard to turn off my “change management” brain when it comes to personal relationships. My heart always wants to be supportive, but my mind wants the best possible outcome and is often thinking about how things could be improved or changed for the better.

Tips for Advancement:

Here are three easy to implement actions that you can incorporate into your work routine to create more likability for yourself while you continue to do great work.

  1. When connecting on a personal level, turn off your professional brain. Put down your mental notepad and stay present in the moment

  2. If you struggle with personal connection, ask those you trust to hold you accountable to show up as your best possible self

  3. Before you speak and provide feedback about a situation, ask yourself the following: “If this information was being shared about me, how would it make me feel.”

Let’s Connect:

This information is shared in an effort to help you maintain a peaceful lifestyle in your work and business. To receive more information about our coaching programs and how we can help you achieve peace in your goals, visit: The Peace Boutique – Origins of Peace Coaching & Consulting Firm.

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World Health Day

Today we celebrate World Health Day, in honor of the significance of all-around good health and wellbeing. Each of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness should be celebrated due to their importance in the pursuit of longevity, happiness and mental wellness.
Today is the perfect day to take the Peace Capability Test and find out where your opportunities for improvement are.
Visit our website at: https://originsofpeace.com/take-the-peace-capability-assessment/ and make a plan to obtain great health.
 
Cheers to wellness!
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Morning Prayer-March 8th

Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for all that I have accomplished this week. You’ve allowed me to show love to others through collaboration, authenticity and self-discipline.

As I prayed to highlight these values throughout the week, each day you show me how to make it possible.

Through this week’s opportunities, I’ve learned so much and I value each lesson that you gave me.

Because of your faithfulness I am better off today than yesterday, and I confidently move forward according to your will.

Thank you for believing in me, for empowering me and for never leaving nor forsaking me.

Yes, to new connections and opportunities.

In Jesus Name. Amen.

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Morning Prayer-March 7th, 2024

Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,

I am grateful today for participation. Thank you for surrounding me with like-minded people who will encourage me, inspire me and hold me accountable. I am grateful for opportunities to refine my skills and to put forth the best effort that I can possibly give. Psalm 90:16-17 remind me that your favor rests upon me and you will establish the work of my hands. Thank you for making it clear to me, which path to follow and which direction to take. I am grateful for your guidance. In Jesus Name. Amen