February's Diva of The Month

Meet Lawanda Gartrell Leonard, February's Diva of The Month!

I had a chance to chat it up with Lawanda Leonard this month; this is a fantastic interview.  Check her out here: Lawanda's Diva of the Month interview

January's Diva of the Month!

There's a new Diva of the Month, check her out tomorrow (January 1, 2014).  

LeJanaro Barnes

Happy New Year! from The Diva Journals

Promise Yourself

"To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”

― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them

Life

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soulmate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.” 

― Marilyn Monroe

Out of Order!

So lately I've been a little lethargic.  Feels like my moving parts need lubrication, some cleaning; need to get rid of corrosion that's trying to set in. My mind is tired. 

I got to myself, did some praying, some meditating, did some thinking, and the Holy Spirit showed me; I'm not as tired as much as I am out of order.  Let me explain - (in my Kevin Hart voice).  

I've not been getting up 1 to 1.5 hours earlier than my usual time; which would allow me to communicate with the Father and prepare myself for the day ahead of me. Thus I'm not prepared.

I've not been eating properly; although I'm not eating poorly, my diet could use a small overhaul. I'm depleted of vital nutrients.  Thus I'm tired.

I've not been exercising my usual 3 to 4 times a week; lucky if I get in 1 day.  I'm taking on projects during the day, and not carving out my exercise time.  Thus I'm sluggish in my thoughts and my rest patterns are interrupted.

I've not been getting enough sleep, watching those exciting shows after 9:00 p.m. and not utilizing the DVR.  Thus I'm out of whack because I'm sleepy.  Oh yeah, the struggle is real!

Totally Out of Order!

So, now that I've identified my issues, what do I do? Stop doing the things that I'm not suppose to be doing, and start doing the things I'm suppose to be doing? Yes, that's a start, but how about I acknowledge the signs that I DO SEE when they fast approach me, so that I can get a head start on and cut off the spiral effects before they hit me hard. Then be thankful I can hit the reset button on my mind and my though process, be thankful that I can change some things.

We all get out of order from time to time; but if we sit back, think about what's really going on with us, and acknowledge it, then we can help ourselves.  If you have a layout of what helps you get through your days like I have (mentioned in my list of things I haven't been doing), then utilize it. Nine times out of ten if we have taken the time to jot these things down, they really work, but we have to work for them too. 

We've all heard that it takes just 21 days for habits to form, truth is some habits take just a few weeks, others take much longer. I've read the time to change a habit from non-existent to automatic ranged from 18 days to over five months. The average was 66 days.  Wow.

One thing we do know is repetition is important; for example if I've set my alarm clock to wake up at 5:00 a.m. Monday through Friday for the past six months and I've actually gotten up at that time, chances are that I am going to wake up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, regardless of whether I've set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. or not.  Because of the repetition, I've formed a habit. Since it's up to me what habits I form for myself, I might as well form some healthy ones and stick to them; part of forming the healthy habits is, again....identifying the damaging habits that will subtly sneak into our psyche to aid us in sabotaging the plans we have to live healthy.

I'm on the road as of late this afternoon to getting rid of the out of order sign attached to my forehead.  I'm hitting rewind, punching reset again, just trying to do better. Join me.  Blessing to you in your efforts to getting your sticky note on your forehead to read operating at 100%.   

Feeling Blessed By God is Like....

Feeling blessed by God and not sharing it with others is like wrapping a beautiful gift for someone and never giving it to them.  Share your gift of gratitude today.  Let someone know what great things He has done for you.

We have a new Diva of the Month

Please check her out.  Her article is awesome.

November's Diva of the Month