Confessions for the Business Owner

Entrepreneurs sometimes work the longest hours with low pay and very little appreciation. In fact, working for yourself is actually determining to have more than one boss because each client/customer is now your boss. Geez! Imagine that. So here's something to keep you motivated.

1. I will operate efficiently and productively today.
2. I have peace with myself, employees and clients because I operate ethically.
3. God is my business partner and with His help, this company will grow and produce every day.

Three Things Every Wife Should Confess

It's not easy being a wife. There are many challenges and many more variables than most people dare even delve into, but these three things should fit most any situation.

1. God is the head of this marriage and I give it to HIM.
2. I love and honor my husband as a man and am committed to him and his dreams.
3. I love myself enough not to stress about things I cannot change.

Seven Things Every Parent Should Confess

Every parent should know how to speak the right things over their children. These are seven things every parent should say:

1. My children are healthy, whole and well-adjusted.
2. My children are productive members of society.
3. My children are trailblazers and will not bend to peer pressure.
4. My children are respectful and respected.
5. My children love knowledge and the pursuit thereof.
6. My children live the life they were intended to live.
7. My children love God and honor their parents.

What You Speak

What we say says a lot about us. Negative people speak negative things and before long a pattern of negative happenings surround them and a cycle starts. Bad things happen, bad things are said, more bad things happen, and of course, more bad things are said.

It isn't easy to be positive all the time. So my new motto this year is be positive or be silent and be quick to retract my slips of the lip with something positive.

What you speak over yourself and your family has the potential to happen. I'd much rather spend a lifetime speaking the right things and none of them happen, than to speak bad things all the time and even a portion of them happen.

Diamonds

Diamonds are very beautiful stones. They sparkle and glimmer, and seem to promise something that entices and even satisfies. We are awed by them, even those of us who don't wear them. They can now be processed to come in other colors (namely the chocolate diamond that I absolutely adore). They can be cut in a gazillion different shapes (namely pear which is my fave) and ways to increase brilliance. They are now and more than likely always will be valuable. And what makes them so valuable is ALL the time and processing it takes to change the appearance of them.

Long before diamonds are what we ooh and aah over, they are lumps of coal that must be pressurized. They don't start out as something that most people would even take a second look at... but to a skilled person, they know when they've found a real diamond. They can look at it in its rawest form and see potential and value. And that is my point this morning.

We are like diamonds still in the rough that have not been completely processed yet. Depending on who's looking and who finds us, or even whose eyes we are looking out of ourselves, we may not seem valuable or worthy. We might seem like a waste of time and energy, not worth processing or spending resources on. But I am ever so grateful that in the hands of the right person (GOD) and with me having the right mentality (that I am worthy), this rough piece of matter WILL one day become a fully processed, skillfully cut, highly sought after diamond that is no longer in the rough but in a place where I bring glory to God.

WOW, I feel good this morning! It is my spirit that is aflight.

My 200th Post

Today I celebrate a milestone for Blog P3. This is my 200th post on this blog and I'm so proud that I can say I stuck with it so long. When I started this blog, I wasn't sure I even wanted to blog. It started off with a different name, Celebrate Women, but then grew and expanded because I gained  a lot of male readership.

I've had several absences, but I am still here blogging away. Here's to the next 100 posts. YAY!

Real Strength

When I think of the word strong, normally bulging muscles come to mind first. Of course, there are wimpy looking arms that have far more strength in them than they appear to have. And that is the point of this post.

Most of us are stronger than we think, even on our weakest day. In fact, it seems like those days when we're ready to fall apart, the problem of a loved one snaps us right back into ourselves and causes us to reach deeper beyond our own problems and seek a solution for someone else. After going through that a few times, I finally came to a conclusion... in order to possess the kind of strength that takes you through a lifetime of troubles without bitterness and hatred, you have to learn to press past your problems and seek the good of others.

I have so many people tell me I think of others too much, but in reality, if I didn't, I'm sure I would be a goner by now. It is the fact that I can be an asset to others that helps me endure my own hardships when I'm ready to quit. Think about that and tell me if that makes you feel empowered.

Can You Stand Alone?

There are all sorts of people in the world, and I'm not much for categorizing them, but I want to talk about two basic types: leaders and followers. While it's true that all people can be put into both categories, each person has a stronger tendency to one or the other.

Leaders are simply followers of something bigger than themselves, a higher purpose or vision. That leads them and they are bold enough to lead others toward what they seek when they know it is worth chasing. Leaders are visionaries and must be able to stand on their own. Now why did I say all that?

It's unfortunate that most people want to lead, but do not have the ability to stand against what may be popular for what is right. Followers have the ability to be undecided and waver between two opinions sometimes, but never a leader. Leaders have to be strong enough to stand up and speak for what is right and true versus what will win more adoration.

I see people who try to please others by adulterating their own visions and dreams. And then they expect someone to support them. It's not going to happen. At best, you'll gain the support of varying opinions and the weight of trying to blend oil and water will destroy you. The best thing to do is be who you are and believe what you believe and stand on that through whatever may come. Then, when all the chips are down, even if you are standing alone, you will have NEVER adulterated yourself and your beliefs. I'm not talking about being stubborn against revealed truth for whatever you want to believe. I'm talking about sticking to what is right against ALL odds.

Most of you probably know I'm speaking more to the Christian population than anyone else by now, but this works for politicians and any other people who presume to know a better way.

Out of the Hospital

Well, I did two and a half days hard labor by being hospitalized. I'm finally out and hoping this medicine helps me feel better while I wait on a supernatural healing. LOL!

You know, it dawned on me recently the very irony of medicine. Our bodies were created to work in harmony, every system feeding and nourishing the next, working together like a fine tuned instrument. Medicine, on the other hand, helps one thing or one symptom but causes other problems. Anybody but me notice that every medicine has a side effect or two that is just as dangerous as whatever it is treating? Let's be careful that what we take doesn't destroy our bodies. Hey, we only get one!

No More Complaints!!!

Last night, I was awake all night long in agony and wondering why my body seems to be failing me while my heart and mind are aflight. I have a million ideas and much of the know-how to bring them to manifestation, but very little energy. Then, I began to reflect on the suffering of those around the world with cancer, tumors, strokes, heart attacks, chronic illnesses of all kinds. That led me back to the days of being an aid at a nursing home. Several of the patients I had were chronically ill but they took great pride in 1) never asking God why and 2) never complaining, even when they were blatantly mistreated by the nursing staff.

Everything in our lives, good and bad, every experience is for our making. We encounter those we encounter to prepare us for some future trial or success, or both. So while I laid in bed practically unable to move, I decided that God is to be praised without regard to how I feel and what I want. Whether my body is whole or broken has nothing to do with HIS love for me or mine for HIM. People who choose contentment in storms come through them much quicker and generally find themselves much happier than those who complain about everything that's wrong, questioning God as if HE could ever be wrong, unjust/unfair or uncaring!

"Truth and Intimacy" book

I re-read two chapters out of my book last night. It moved me beyond words. Sometimes, it seems like I didn't write any of it but that God Himself was giving me a message for ME first and foremost. It was refreshing to actually read a part of my book, Truth and Intimacy: A Couple's Journal, and come away from it with this feeling of satisfaction.

We have re-committed to blogging more frequently at Truth and Intimacy: The Classified Files blog. We'd love those of you with great marriages to stop over and make contributions. In fact, we're looking for married, blogging couples. If interested, drop us an email at lacresha.hayes@gmail.com

Holding Your Vow as Unbreakable

Some of you read that title and automatically assumed I'd be talking about marriage. Well, that is certainly true for marriage, but this isn't about marriage. This is about those resolutions which are undoubtedly being challenged by now.

When we make resolutions, or any kind of promises to others or ourselves for that matter, we should remember that we're making a vow and that we should do our best to honor that vow. I'm not too quick to make a vow anymore because I'd rather not make one than to ruin my word by making many and breaking them. And believe me, there's a state far worse than others not believing in you or your word anymore. That state is when you stop believing in yourself and your ability to accomplish your goals.

Often, we begin with the best of intentions, but we lose sight of our goals through the trials of change. We become side-tracked or lose faith. We get tired, or we think we can take a breather from the hard stuff and come back to it. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.

Hold your vows, especially those you make to yourself for yourself, as unbreakable as you hold any other vow. Count yourself as important enough that you can suffer the winds of change temporarily for you to have a better future. This works when it concerns getting healthier, having a better marriage, becoming a better parent, opening your own business, or paying off old debt. Remember that you are capable of doing what you need to do to be that person you desire to be.

Giveaway of "Becoming: My Personal Memoirs"

I'm giving away two copies of Becoming: My Personal Memoirs for visits, comments either here or on my FB fan page. The two winners are:

Vanessa Richardson

and

Tina Fey Allison

Just email me at lacresha.hayes@gmail.com with your mailing addresses. Thanks for participating!

True to Yourself

It's funny how many masks, hats, faces we all wear. We're moms/dads, aunts/uncles, grandparents, employers, employees, spouses, cooks, friends, cousins, nieces/nephews. We are so many things to so many people that often we forget who we are or should be for ourselves. We lose ourselves in the details of daily life and the needs of those who love.

This year, be inspired to be the person you are. In other words, be true to yourself and for yourself. Spend time with yourself doing things you enjoy.

New Years Resolutions

I'm a few days late, but I decided to share my resolutions. In fact, these are actually my new life model statements for 2010 and beyond.

1. Grow closer to God by taking the restraints off how He chooses to bless me, discipline me and train me. Sometimes, it is through sin and hardships that God shows us a better way. Sin is not His will and suffering now His pleasure, but He can use them both.
2. No more debt! Even if I come out $5 at a time, I'm determined to lay old bills to rest for good without making new ones to do it.
3. No more fear! What I fear I empower. I choose to show courage in every place I've formally been challenged, starting with the fear that God will give up on me. He hasn't and He never will.
4. Take control of my health by losing weight, starting and sticking to some form of exercise, eating better, fewer meds, more faith, more education. I also plan to do more to educate those who are uninsured about the pitfalls in the healthcare system that could cost them their lives. (Okay, not going to get on my soapbox here.)
5. Improve relationships by showing more love, forgiveness and understanding. Sometimes for those I love the most I'm less merciful, but never again!

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