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:
Dear Lord,
I surrender all to you on this day. I am okay with not knowing the full plan, or seeing the full picture of how things will play out. My trust is in you. Your word says that you know your plans for me, your plan to prosper me and not harm me, your plan to give me hope and a future. My faith is fully in you and your plan. I trust you Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Value: Serenity
When you embrace the value of Serenity means that you’ve chosen to make peace with your circumstances and won’t feel as troubled by life’s ups and downs. Make a plan that gives you the ability to cope and thrive in spite of life’s challenges.
Self-Care Tip of the Day: Do Nothing for Twenty Minutes
Turn on your favorite playlist or album, sit down or lie down and stare at the ceiling as you vibe out to your favorite songs. Relax, sit or lie still and focus on your breath. -Oludara Adeeyo – Self-care for Black Women
In the news:
Tyler Perry and Devon Franklin have partnered to create faith-based movies for Netflix. Franklin was quoted as saying, “Tyler and I have been great friends for 15 years, so when he called me to team up on movies that can uplift the human spirit, I jumped at the chance.
Listen, are you here for more spiritually uplifting films? I am here for it. I personally think in this current the state of the world, we could use a spiritual boost. I’ve mentioned before all the negative things that are portrayed on social media and in current news. As a society, we cannot be fueled on by the agreements between rappers and who wore an outfit the best.
I can say for myself that I crave sustenance. What type of films do you enjoy? Let me know in the comments.
Tips for advancement:
Details are good, but faith carries you through
Don’t allow small thinking to limit your success
Origins of Peace specializes in helping the exhausted and overwhelmed professional find peace in their daily routine.
Note:You’ve got a few more days to checkout our 35% off Mental Health Awareness special. On 5/14/2024, our website will go offline for a few weeks while we rebrand. Shop http://www.originsofpeace.com/peaceboutique before 5/14.
May your day be filled with love. May you rest if that is what you need. I pray your environment is filled with positivity, creativity and endless opportunities for you to show up as your authentic self.
Today, I want to express my gratitude for your presence as a valued community member of Origins of Peace, LLC.
I believe in the process of Peace by Design to overcome personal and professional conflict and the power that we each have to change our life. Whether you’ve joined this community as a client, customer or someone who simply enjoys reading our newsletters and blog posts, your involvement enriches our community in many ways.
Your support and engagement add value to this community. I am truly grateful for every comment, every share, and every view.
I am committed to providing you with more enriching content and opportunities to connect. Together, we can continue the process of Peace by Design by inspiring you to Heal Recover and Grow!
As we head into the holiday season and prepare for 2024, we are doubling down on our mission to support you and provide products and services that will help you reclaim your peace and choose people, places and situations that support your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
Make plans to join us on December 9th at 5:30pm for our Vision Board Party. Your presence is necessary, and admission is absolutely free. Here is the link to join.
I am accepting new clients into my Peace by Design Coaching Program. Two of our programs are currently being offered at a discount of $200 and there is a monthly option available if you prefer group coaching. Here is the link to learn more.
Once again, thank you for being a significant part of our community. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
Affirmation: “I welcome opportunities to shine. I will tap into my magic and show up in irresistible ways personally and professionally.”
The magic that was available to you as a child is still available to you as an adult.
You likely were raised to believe that all things were possible to you as a child and that you could be, have, or do anything that your heart desired.
Somewhere between adolesence and adulthood, perspectives begin to change.
Everything that once felt like a miracle, begins to feel like a challenge to overcome, or an unreachable goal. As an adult you’ve some how forgotten the magic that you have, and the miracle that is you.
No matter how old you are, the magic still exists. Personally and Professionally, you have the ability to make magic happen in your life.
Ask yourself the following questions to help you tap into your magic:
What can you do to make deeper connections at work and in your social settings?
Are you scheduling networking opportunities with colleagues and engagement appointments with associates to build commaradere?
Does your schedule allow time for you to feel relaxed and at ease, instead of feeling hurried and anxious?
If you are disappointed with the answers to these questions, it is time to make a change.
Start by making a list of opportunities to connect. Brunch, after work activities or weekend Food Truck events are a few ideas to help you get started.
Next, decide who you want to connect with. Are there at least three work colleagues that you would like to get to know better?
Do you want to build your relationships with a few of your associates? After you have worked out those details, now comes the most challenging part.
You have to make time in your schedule to build those connections.
Affirmation: “I am progressively moving forward in life to experience great wellbeing and receive the promises that I hold true. I am worth the effort.”
Not so long ago I experienced an extremely challenging time. As things began to escalate, I could not pinpoint exactly what was happening to me. Things felt extremely hard, and weird at the same damn time! Work was hard, relationships were weird and finding time to decompress was non-existent.
I felt like I had to move heaven and earth to make the smallest bit of progress in my work, and in my relationships. I felt more like an observer than a participant. To be clear, I felt helpless in both areas.
The constant drive to be disciplined and to be consistently “on”, left me feeling like I could not keep up. I felt like my performance occupationally and personally did not measure up to my self-imposed expectations.
I was raised to believe in the promises of purpose, meaningful relationships, safety and acceptance. At that point in my life, I felt stuck in the belief of those promises, with no concrete method of how to move them forward.
I’ve had enough life experience to know that those promises are often challenged by people, situations and circumstances, self included.
It is easy to get in your head and allow your insecurities and imposter syndrome to cripple you into thinking that you are not progressing in life.
After seeing a post online that said, “Black women don’t often recognize that they are struggling with depression or anxiety, instead they think they are failing,” I began to take a more in-depth look into the emotions that I was experiencing.
I was anxious, mentally exhausted, and totally burned out! Purpose, safety, and acceptance are basic life necessities. When those necessities are compromised, it will cause you to act outside of your norm and to go into survival mode.
Now that I am moving past those hard and weird feelings, I am able to identify anxiety as the root cause. Anxiety absolutely got the best of me in the form of overcommitment and blurred boundaries.
The 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health Report, states that 86% of workers experienced at least one mental health challenge over the past year, with only 36% of those surveyed workers received mental health care.
In order to start dealing with my feelings, I had to realign my thoughts and perspectives around those basic necessities and understand that I wasn’t failing. I was experiencing a personal crisis that needed to be addressed.
My first course of action was to take some much-needed time off from everything. No work, no deadlines, no commitments, nothing outside of what I had in the present moment.
By sharing this information with you, I hope that it helps you to become more compassionate with yourself, and your needs. If you are experiencing challenges in areas that usually align easily for you, take some time to investigate those feelings. You could likely be experienciencg some anxiety.
A Peace Map is the perfect way to get back on track. To create your custom Peace Map, we will evaluate your wellness areas, set goals to experience more peace in those areas, and then create a blueprint to make it happen.
I’ve helped many of my clients create maps in specific areas of life.
From now until July 2nd our CREATE! Empowerment Workshops are 50% off. During this session we will cover the topics above, and you will have a custom Peace Map in the end. Sessions are available online only.
Use the link provided above to secure your session. One of our team members will contact you to schedule your session.
Any questions about this offer should be directed to: success@originsofpeace.com.
If the definition of worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want, what is the definition of manifesting?
It is extremely easy to waste time worry about things that you do not want in your life. Troubled relationships, career challenges and financial setbacks are just a few issues that can have your thoughts wondering aimlessly out of control.
Several years ago, as I experienced several major crises simultaneously, I often worried if I would survive it all.
First there was the divorce. It was hard and I was stressed. How would I survive, how would it affect my daughter, how would dating and relationships look for me afterwards and how would others perceive my choice? That 12 months of required separation in the state of NC was difficult.
I worried myself to the point of being unhealthy. I was stressed, consistently anxious, not sleeping well, over-weight and extremely unhappy with myself. Just when I thought things were about to get better, the cancer diagnosis appeared.
The week of my divorce hearing, I took time off of work to spring clean my home. I was ready for new beginnings and a fresh start. I wanted so badly to cleanse myself of the constant turmoil and self-imposed worrying. I had my first mammogram, which lead to a callback and subsequently to the diagnosis.
Up until the point of getting married, I was fairly consistent with my physical and nutritional health. Marriage added a level of stress in my life that I wasn’t fully prepared for.
How could this be?
On my last day of radiation treatment, I lost my job and the constant worry continued.
What now & What next?
I share part of my story today because this week marks my 8-year survival story!
I am surviving and thriving. 8 years post-divorce & post-cancer
My journey hasn’t been the easiest, and there have definitely been a few setbacks. What I’ve learned along the way is to focus my time, energy and attention toward the things that I actually want for my life.
I am spending less time focused on things that do not bring me peace, joy or purpose. This involves understanding and owning my values and taking intentional action to reset my personal expectations. It takes discipline to train your mind to focus on manifesting and not worrying.
Many of the traditional methods that are talked about for stress reduction and developing discipline actually work if you work them to your advantage.
Journaling is great for getting your thoughts and concerns out of your head and down on paper so that you can create a strategy to effectively manage your challenges. I recently saw a post on Instagram that says, “If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside yourself. I couldn’t agree more”. Get those thoughts out of your mind and create peace within!
Exercising is a great way to re-direct your energy and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Imagine the heightened sense of awareness you can generate from a little physical movement.
Understanding earth’s elements are a non-traditional method of dealing with stress and redirecting your thoughts from worry to manifest. The elements are air, water, fire, earth and space. Find the element that speaks to you intently. I personally feel most relaxed by varying bodies of water. The crashing sound of ocean waves, or the stillness of a calming lake are both great at helping me to relax and find peace.
For my present and future, I am manifesting an everyday life that is filled with reciprocal love, amazing opportunities, genuine friendships, harmonious family interactions and all the blessings that God has planned and purposed for me.
On June 2, 2015, I had surgery to remove the cancer tumors from my body and on June 4, 2018, I re-entered the workforce with new skills and a highly viable career path. Origins of Peace exist today because of the multiple challenges that I experienced in 2015.
Dating and relationships in this survivor era offer the biggest area of opportunity for me. I’ve come close to manifesting the relationship that I desire, but nothing has panned out completely as of yet. Stay tuned for future posts to see how that plays out. I am hopeful.
What am I manifesting for this area of my life?
A love that is never selfish, always of service, and precisely on purpose.
From My Mouth to God’s ears
My definition for manifesting is to demonstrate the things that I desire in life prior to actually obtaining them. This is easier said than done, but it is possible, and I am actively doing it.
As I celebrate 8 years of surviving and thriving, I choose to demonstrate good health, love and understanding, progressiveness and forward thinking, spiritual fortitude, and all the desires of my heart while God continues to add blessing upon blessing to my life.
My prayer is that you will change the narrative that you repeat to yourself. May your thoughts of worry turn to offerings of praise and gratitude.
Peace & Blessings to you!
If you are ready to create a strategy of manifestation for your life, let’s work together. Schedule a complimentary consultation today by clicking here.
Please forgive my nearly closed eyes, but I’ve been dealing with some major sinus congestion for more than a week now. Sheer agony!
Anyway, for weeks I had been searching for a beach lounger, when I came across the perfect one on the Academy Sports Website. The color scheme perfectly matched my beach dining accessories from Tabitha Brown’s latest release at Target, it was light weight, and the straps were perfect for easy portability.
I ordered the lounger using a gift card that I received on my birthday last year. When I arrived at the store to pick up my order, I decided to use curbside pickup, since I was not feeling well. I selected the appropriate options to alert an associate that I was outside waiting. When the associate arrived, he immediately asked me for my ID. This posed a problem for me because I had lost my driver’s license at the beach, the previous weekend. Before uttering a word, I looked in my purse and retrieved the gift card that I used to make the purchase, my confirmation email, and my temporary driver’s license.
As I am doing all of this, I told the associate that I had lost my driver’s license, but I had all the items that I listed above as verification that I was in fact the person that placed and paid for the order.
The associate’s initial response was to refuse delivery. My response was, how will my picture ID assure you that I am the person who made the online purchase? Your website didn’t ask for a picture, so how would that help you validate the purchase and me as the purchaser?
We discussed the dilemma for a few minutes and then a second associate came out to my car whom I assume was a manager.
After about a 10-minute delay, I was able to get my order.
As I began driving away, I immediately thought to myself, I need this kind of protection in my life.
Protect Me Like Academy Sports Protects its Online Purchases!
The intention, the verification, and the validation of transacting with the appropriate party was top tier for me. Although I was the one who could not provide the needed information, I appreciate the steps taken by the store to ensure that I was in fact who I claimed to be.
Imagine if each of us took that same level of care in our everyday relationships. Instead of rushing into agreements with others, what if we took time to actually validate who they really are? I was able to gain the trust of the associates because I described the color of my dining accessories and how the colors complimented the lounger that I purchased. I also talked about my past trip to the beach and my intention of going back. All of this discussion helped the associates get to know a little about me and become comfortable with the decision to give me my lounger.
I’ve had a number of representatives show up in my life claiming to be someone whom they really were not. When I thought that I was dealing with someone who had integrity and was trustworthy, but in reality, they turned out to be just the opposite.
The lessons that I am taking from this encounter are:
I will always show up as my authentic self, and I will expect others to do the same
I will value the connections that can be made by simply engaging in a little small talk
I will respect the boundaries and values of others, and I will expect others to show the same respect to me
These are simple truths that are now part of my #originsofpeace.
How about you? Are you showing up authentically, and do you have set expectations and values that others must adhere to?
There is a quote that says,
“Intention is one of the most powerful forces there is.What you mean when you do a thing will always determine the outcome.The law creates the world.”
My intention is to be protected as well as Academy Sports protects its online purchases! What’s your intention?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were judged based on a version of you that existed long ago?
If so, were you bothered by it?
As a continuously evolving individual, there are so many different versions of you that will exists, over the span of your life.
I’ve found myself in that situation, and I can truthfully say that it didn’t feel good at all.
As a youth, I dealt with so many insecurities which often left me feeling inadequate, unsure of myself and isolated in a huge world.
These feelings caused me to retreat in certain situations, and to avoid settings that felt uncomfortable.
As a forward-thinking adult, therapy and self-reflection played a huge part in my process of becoming whole.
When others decide to judge you, based on who they knew you to be, during your impressionable years, it can trigger a setback and cause feelings of inadequacy to become more profound. You can also simply acknowledge what was said, glean any lessons that you need to take with you, and continue to move forward.
This week, I challenge you to move forward and celebrate yourself for making progress.
The level of value placed on the thoughts and opinions that others have about you, is totally up to you.
If you decide not to allow those opinions to weigh too heavily on your mind, don’t.
We all know those people who like to remind you of your past or who they think you are in their mind, and it can be a detractor from your progress.
Don’t allow it to be.
If you are doing the best that you can at this moment in life, keeping going. If you are placing too much value on the thoughts and opinions of others, stop doing that.
The purpose that God has placed in you, can’t be measured by another human being. Your purpose is God given.
Place people in the categories where they belong in your life and keep this scripture close to your heart….
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
Before you were born, I set you apart….. -Jeremiah 1:5
“You can’t find peace in a place that you do not trust. Trust yourself.”
I am definitely in the small audience who loved the series, “The First Lady,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
Although the criticism was loud and the series was cancelled after the first season, it is still nominated for 3 Emmy Awards.
The intention of the series is to reframe the idea of leadership through the feminine perspective, inclusive of family, relationships and contribution.
My point in sharing this is to encourage you to stay with your dreams. Your vision was given to you, in order to share it with others. Everyone will not understand your perspective. Some might even disagree with your point of view. In the end, there are those who will applaud you and reward your work. Those are your people!
I welcome the opportunity to learn more about your dreams. Comment below and let me know what you are working on.
We are already through the first week of the new year and hopefully you’ve had a chance to reflect on and consider the work that is involved in achieving your resolutions.
Goal Setting is simple, Vision Boards are inspiring, and the true work is done when you map out your goals for the year and make a plan to implement.
Is this your year to start that business that you’ve wanted for so long? Are you tired of feeling frustrated in your career but unsure of what’s next?
Are you the friend that’s called on to support your family and friends while they walk out their purpose?
If you’re ready to start your next chapter, Peace by Design Academy has a place for you.
We focus on all things peace by analyzing your wellness dimensions and then each month we strategically create an action plan to help you realize your purpose and walk in it, in the most true and authentic way.
The next academy begins on Monday, January 16th. Make a decision to join the academy and create a new vision to find your purpose, develop your plan and get the support you need to take action.
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