Seasons, Storms, & Solemnness

Happy New Year readers! I know it has been a long time and now I am back!  Sometimes life has to take you through something before you have something to say.  So this year the focus for our blog is “Alphabet soup" and this month, the first month of the year, the letter is 'S.'

When you take a look at this winter photo it looks like everything is desolate or depressing.  Well, take a closer look at the picture.  (Keep in mind as you read this, you are like a tree.)  Can you see the branches that have broken off but still holding on, not quite fallen to the ground yet?  When we go through seasons it gives us an opportunity to see clearer.  It gives us an opportunity to share or purge things from our life that will hinder us into the next phase of our life.  Because it is cold and dreary, the leaves have fallen off the trees and the branches are becoming dry and brittle.  You would think this scene is barren but if you look closely, you could be persuaded to see something different.  Because the leaves are gone you can now see clearer to the other side where before the clutter of the leaves caused a blockage of your view.  The branches that are hanging on and not yet fallen to the ground represent people or situations that are still clinging on to you or and holding you back.  Maybe you are holding yourself back because you are supporting something that you should actually push out of the tree.

Even in the midst of what could look like a bleak setting, the branches still have a purpose.  Take another look you may see a bird's nest or two. God’s design for them included a way that they would always be taken care of, even in the cold and wet winter months.  Just as his design for your life, there is still purpose upon you when you feel you have nothing to give.  Outstretched arms (branches) are all it takes to receive what is meant for you.  Not all seasons bring sorrow into our lives.  Seasons are meant for us to self evaluate so that we can go to the next level of life. Seasons are not always storms, sometimes they are celebration.  We sometimes experience loss (or shed leaves) to make room for the upgrade. Sometimes things happen out of our control because in truth we would not have moved from the setbacks that we saw as support without it. Trust the process and don’t be afraid to shake a few leaves.

Have an awesome week and stay F.I.T. Dont forget to read today's quote under Fully Inspired Today

Change

Don't ever think that you're not worthy of teaching someone something. Its not always black & white but even with all of your set backs and your downfalls God has commissioned us to change the world. While you can't change a person directly, people are motivated by the change they see in YOU! Start there...

photo from wehearit.com

First Lady

You are a very beautiful woman. Act like you already have everything you want even if you do not. Look at your setbacks as a setup for your comeback! In other words, be happy and content with what you have, but do not become complacent. Never stop dreaming big or reaching beyond the limits of what you can see in front of you. You will be tested with a little before you will be blessed with a lot. To whom much is given, much is required. That is why it sometimes it seems like you are driving through a neighborhood full of trash in the streets. Every time you turn a corner, you have to dodge something in your path. (Sometimes you have to run over it, kill it dead :-) to make sure it does not surface again.) It feels like every time you take a step forward in the right direction, Life comes along and pulls you back two. If only there were those “Speed bump ahead,” directional signs in life like you see when you drive through some areas.


The truth is, there are signs that you get when you are dealing with situations, and we choose to ignore our intestinal fortitude (gut instinct) and try to make it work anyway. You saw signs of controlling behavior in this man when you were dating him, but you married him anyway. You know your boss was staring at you a little too hard, but you went out to lunch alone with him anyway. You know your daughter has been skipping school, but you left her at home “sick” by herself anyway, now she is 14 and pregnant. There are many situations we could go on about, but instead let us focus on keeping our emotions in check.

Just as its important to workout to improve your physical health, it’s important to workout your mind to improve your mental health. People say “follow your heart.” The stronger your mind is, the smarter your heart is. What’s in your heart is a direct reflection of whats on your mind. Keep thoughts pure, positive, and purpose driven. That is how you remain happy in a temporary unhappy situation. You are a 1st Lady...when you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, the first lady you see is YOU. Some things are worth repeating: You are a very beautiful woman, act like it!

~Pamela
Stay F.I.T. (Fully Inspired Today)

Life is Good

Life if full of obstacles, hurt and pain. But most importantly it is also full of JOY. You may not be able to see that right now.  Speak life OVER your situation, not into your situation. Talking about something you don’t want to happen brings it to life.  Instead of climbing that mountain, move that mountain.  You have power to make it happen. And God is your strength to see it through. So accept confirmation today that God has spoken, Let the church say Amen.  J

Stay FIT (Fully Inspired Today) 
~Pamela

Quickly Let Go

The energy you devote to being annoyed brings you nothing of value in return. So choose to quickly let go of your need to be annoyed. The time and energy you put into being offended adds nothing positive to your life. So decide to quickly let go of your need to be offended. Winning petty arguments will do nothing to enhance your relationships. So find a way to quickly let go of the need to prove that you’re right. There are many things that can hold you back. But they’ll hold you back only as long as you continue to hold on to them. Each day is filled with plenty of valid reasons to be angry, resentful, jealous, frustrated, offended and annoyed. All that negativity can stop you cold if you allow it to take up long-term residence in your life.


So make the choice to quickly let it go. And free yourself to soar above it all.

— Ralph Marston

Due Date =Do Date

What is the definition of due date? Literary sources show it as a date on which an obligation must be repaid; the particular day on or before which something must be done to comply with law or contractual obligation. Ultimately, you must do something.


Have you set out to do something important and fallen short on completing the task or accomplishment?
Have you procrastinated for no apparent reasons?
Have you made excuses for why you have not even started?
Have you made a commitment to yourself to get it done?
Have you written out your vision and made it plain?
Have you set a realistic goal for taking the necessary steps to achieve your dream?
Do you have a support system in place to hold you accountable?


Integrity is what you tell yourself. Be honest with yourself when answering these questions. Analyze your surroundings, your support system, and your mindset. Having the right people around you at the right time in the right place will give you right results. Do you believe you can achieve what you want to do? Are you afraid you will fail before succeeding? Well guess what, failing is a step to success! Commitment and perseverance are too. Without commitment, you will not place value on what you desire to accomplish. Another important step is setting a deadline or “due date”. Setting a specific finish date ensures you get started! Will that date change? Of course it can as the course unfolds, but you have to start in order to finish.


You know how lenders may charge you a penalty or “late fee” if your payment is not received by the due date? Remember, there could be penalties for you if you do not meet your due date. You waste unrecoverable time. You miss opportunity. One way you can help avoid this is set a deadline for each step of your goal. Break it down into smaller goals in order to achieve the overall goal. This will make it more realistic for you. Just as you can set up automatic drafts to make payments to your lender, set up automatic deposits of affirmations from your support system. Ask them to send you reminders or words of encouragements. If you have the right people around you, you will not have to ask them to do this anyway. Just as you would record written checks in a checkbook, record these affirmations so you can refer back to them when needed.


Sometimes God will allow you to surpass others who have started before you to truly show that the race is not given to the swift but to the one truly called to do the task. Sometimes it looks like someone is doing so much better than you are when in fact he or she may be a little envious of you. You may not have the material things they have but you do have fruit they desire: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These things can never be taken away or destroyed. Therefore, stay focused and stop looking at who is beside you passing you by or ahead of you. In due/do time, you shall shine. ~Pamela

photo compliments of conmed.com

On Top of the World? Or is the World on Top of YOU??
Flip the script, and write your own destiny!!!

~Pamela

Are you a Duck or an Eagle?

The first obvious question should be “How to identify a duck?”Ducks always have one or the other excuse. Some of the common duck sentences are:



• Oh! I can’t do more I am too much busy. (Busy doing what? Playing Farmville/ Poking friends on Facebook!)


• Oh! I don’t think this is the right time


• Oh! I am comfortable doing what I am doing


• Oh! I think I can’t do it


• Oh! This is not made for me / I am not made for this


Even if a Duck will say yes it will love to swim and expect the team to fly!



The reason why a duck cannot be an Eagle as it has been made that way and it has lived that way. Duck will always like to Swim rather than fly but an Eagle will always fly, NO MATTER WHAT! If you try and use your best resources to make a duck fly like eagle, it will not.

As John Maxwell says “Never try to do this, you will make the Eagles feel frustrated!”

Snippet from  A Duck can never become an Eagle: Accept the reality if you are a leader! by
Rohit Prabhakar

OBITUARY of Common Sense (The Times, 10/20/03)

Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, by the name of Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure earlier this year. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.



He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, and life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second (or even last, as long as your best efforts were given).


A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including body piercing, whole language and "new math." But his health declined when he became infected with the "if-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it! virus.


In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six year old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but cannot inform the parent when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion.


Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports. Finally, a woman who was stupid enough not to realize that coffee is hot, and was awarded a huge payout for her stupidity, caused Common Sense to finally throw in the towel.


Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers: My Rights and lma Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few had realized that he was gone.

Are You in Control?

The difference between your expectations and your perceptions is called reality. Of all the things you can't control, there is one thing you can control...your ATTITUDE. Attitude is the energy that drives your feelings, thoughts and actions based on reality. Control your attitude and you gain control over your life. Gain control over your attitude and YOU control your destiny.

Stay FIT (Fully Inspired Today) !

Pamela D. Ballard

It's Your Life...

When I look at this cartoon by Mike Baldwin, I am reminded of a book I once read by Pastor Paula White, Deal With It!: You Cannot Conquer What You Will Not Confront. It makes sense.




If you don’t like your life, change it! While many things or people may exert power in your life and cause things to change, only you have the authority to make the changes that propel you into your destiny. Power and authority are not the same. Power is taking by force, while authority is changing by influence. How you see yourself is going to influence you to make a move or hide inside. You are here, but can you see yourself there? There, beyond the empty bank account, beyond the empty home, beyond the broken marriage, beyond that troubled child that doesn’t listen, beyond the great job that offers no real satisfaction, beyond all the riches with no peace. God has given us all abilities and skills to do what we need to do. You have to make a choice to step up, step out, and step on to the platform that is before you to do the thing you were born to do: BE YOU!



Stay FIT (Fully Inspired Today)!!

Pamela Ballard

Accountability

Accountability: we all say and do things that knaw at our souls. Some people refuse to accept their shortcomings, opting instead to blame others and deny responsibility. But others learn that inner peace can come only from owning up to faults and mistakes--to themselves, first and then to those they have wronged. Its a lot easier to breathe once we get those heavy weights off our chests.

(taken from marlin company)

Make It Happen

You’ve done the easy part, you’ve thought of the idea. Now do you have what it takes to make the dream reality? Creativity, persistence, and your tolerance for risk can enable you to do it but don’t forget about the external factors out of your control and dont be afraid of change.

You say you want it. Are you COMMITED? Are you doing something with it regularly, be it daily, weekly, or monthly? If it doesn’t come to you then you go after it. Make it happen!

Just Do It

Often times we are scared to do what we dream because we think we may flop, people will laugh, we don't know enough, don't have start up capital ,and no one else to support you emotionally. While all that may be true, its still in you.  You have to see it even when you don't see it. I'd like to leave you with these words:

"The only requirements to begin is vision and faith. Tangibly, you won't have everything you need to finish when you get started. You won't have enough money, enough time or enough knowledge. Just get started with what you have and don't quit until you're finished. Learn as you go and don't fret over those not committed to you through the end." Ed Rhino (via Facebook):

Now go in peace and Just Do It!

I hope you are now Fully Inspired Today!!

~Pamela

Don’t Be Afraid Of What You're Made Of

Sometimes your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. Sometimes the best in you can also expose you to the worse in others. The character trait that dominates as your strongpoint in one instance can become an opportunity to leave you hurt or disappointed in another instance.


For example, Trey is very laidback or easy going and may be well liked by others because he is willing to help others, and everyone wants someone like that around. On the flip side, Trey is so nice and humble he may have a problem saying “No” and eventually find himself overwhelmed and unappreciated. Now he begins to resent certain people and decides no longer to be so nice. Trey’s selflessness has caused him to be taken advantage of.


Angela, who chooses to believe the best in people by overlooking their faults and love unconditionally, has the power to motivate and uplift someone with encouragement. Because she is so willing to love only after he has gained her trust, her blinders cause her to develop feelings for someone who is not used to receiving this special treatment. Even though he had feelings too, he disregards her in a way that leaves her feeling desolate and her presence is no longer desired. She has been here before, so she decides to put up a wall around her heart. One of her best assets of seeing the best in people no matter what they have done wrong now causes her to second guess her judgment and she hides from love.


Repeatedly going through similar unfavorable incidents in your life is like strength training with a personal trainer. The more repetitions you do the more resistance and muscle you put on. Soon after you have gone through the routine numerous times, the effort doesn’t faze you at all. You’re able to turn the resistance up a notch. The same goes for when you are going in circles it seems with the same issue or new challenges one after the other. The more times you deal with them the stronger your roots become and you are not moved by the catastrophic events in your life. You are able to turn the adversity up a notch.


Since your body can get used to the workout, there are times you may hit a plateau. Because you stop seeing results, now your guard is down. You don’t practice healthy eating (feeding yourself positive affirmations). You don’t stretch (move beyond your comfort zone). You don’t warm up or cool down (so you jump in unprepared and collapse before the assignment is complete). It is necessary to change up our routine so it shocks the body and you don’t become too familiar. Don’t give up on the traits within you whether it is wisdom, selflessness, humor, love, motivation, bluntness. This is what makes you, you. Don’t deny the inner spirit its right to reign in your life. You can train yourself based on experiences when to use that trait to your benefit. You have to learn who and what to give yourself to. Because it wasn’t appreciated in one chapter of your life, doesn’t mean it won’t work out in the next chapter so finish the book.

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author. ~Mark Houlahan

Push through the pain…Tarry through the tears…Spit out the salt from the sweat…Bandage the blood… Don’t be afraid of what you’re made of.

Changing Lanes

In my previous article, Timing Is NOT Everything (July 2010), I painted an illustration of a traffic scene of the merging car coming off the exit ramp into your lane. Here is a snippet:

Have you ever been driving on the highway, coming up to an exit and there is traffic exiting on the highway? The vehicles merging into traffic should wait until they have enough space to merge; but instead they just drive off the exit, into your line of sight expecting you to move over into the next lane. It forces you to pump the brakes and LET them in...

Sometimes you have to make people notice you, let them see how serious you are and force them to LET you ‘get in where you fit in’....

In this analogy you were to see yourself as the merging car boldly making your transition into the right lane fulfilling your purpose. Now take that same scene and reverse the roles. Imagine you’re the driver in the lane of traffic. You’re about to yield to the car merging into your path. Remember how frustrated it was when the vehicle forced its way into your path and caused you to shift lanes? Don’t see that maneuver as a bad thing. Welcome the divine interruption! Sometimes you need a little jolting. You may need something to happen to make you mad enough to move. You can become complacent at the place you are in, not realizing while you are wallowing in contentment, you’ll soon be fuming feelings of resentment.

As you know all slow traffic should keep to the right. If you’re like me, you don’t like your speed broken or want to pump your brakes once you have momentum flowing. This merging vehicle is now prompting you or I to move over toward the left lane, where faster moving traffic is traveling. In reality, the left lane was designed for passing other vehicles while in route to your destination, not for coasting. The same goes for you as you make this journey to do what you desire to do.

Sometimes we get bogged down with distractions and multitasking of work, taking care of kids, running a business or two, church activity, mentoring, and very little “me” time until we lose sight of where we are on the road and how long its taking us to reach our destination. This is not to say you are failing if you fall behind or haven’t reached your goal by a certain time. I’m merely saying if we weren’t interrupted or “cut off” sometimes we would never move otherwise. Timing has nothing to do with it, things happen the way they are suppose to. It is our sensitivity to the stimulation around us that determine the outcomes of our life. (Choices) We choose to do, not to do, to love, not to love, to reject love, to help, not to help, to encourage, to ignore things and people around us. Your reaction to your stimulus can allow you to ride on cruise control in the slow lane getting uptight because someone just got in front of you. Or you it could push you over to the fast lane so you can pass by all the distractions and enjoy the ride! Its up to you.

Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was ~ Pope John Paul II

So, CHANGE LANES!!

Pamela D. Ballard

Keys To Success

You hear so many motivating speeches pumping you up for success, telling us to rise up and do what you have been called to do. However, if you don’t know what you've been called to do, then is it motivating or does it resonate how much you're still lacking and add to your confusion? You are your own worst critic and your biggest fan. You must find a way to motivate and encourage yourself. There will be days when no one is able to do it for you. When someone has “a word for you ", and its incongruous or inappropriate, it is like a doctor misdiagnosing your condition, prescribing the wrong meds and making your worse than you started out. Self-discovery is going to be the first key to your success. Contrary to the adage, what you do not know wont hurt you, what you don’t know about you can hurt you. It can halt a major production line if an intricate detail is missing; now everything comes out flawed, not ready for packaging, and can’t be shipped out. You are holding up your own progress!



A second key to success is how you define success. Some people view success as a status or acquisition of "stuff". I asked my niece Tymia, what she thought being successful meant and here is what she had to say:" it means to achieve a goal". Therefore, I asked her, "If you don’t achieve that goal have you still succeeded?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Why do you say that?" She said, "Because you had to work hard at trying in the first place". "In other words you are successful because you didn’t stop trying?" She said, "Exactly!" Pretty smart for a nine year old, huh? How do you define the word success?

I looked up the word success and here is what Encarta had to say:

• Attainment of wealth, fame, or power: an impressive achievement because of a record of achievement. (Ask yourself, who are you trying to impress?)

• Achievement of intention; achieving something planned or attempted (It doesn’t have to be planned or done correctly on first try. The only way you fail is if it never comes into realization)

Words synonymous with success are accomplishment, victory, triumph, realization, attainment, and winner. The only word I found as an antonym was failure. So I queried failure:

• Breakdown in performance of something

• Lack of development or production

• To collapse or fall down suddenly, decrease in value

Which takes us to key number three: You must take action! When you stop moving, you start collapsing.

John C. Maxwell quoted author C. D. Jackson:

“Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.” Any idea that remains only an idea doesn’t make a great impact. The real power of an idea comes when it goes from abstraction to application.

Some think failure is the part of the process when you make mistakes. Conversely, the correction of mistakes is where you achieve greatness. If you don’t take action you won’t know what works. You may have to do it 10 times or 100 times. You can’t give up. “If there is no struggle there is no progress,” (Frederick Douglass). This brings us to our last key of success, resilience.

The uphill trudge will seem hard because you may not know exactly what you are supposed to do, where you are supposed to go, and you won’t know everyone you need to know. As you get moving and continue the process, resources will start to cross your path. Tackle your goal in bite size pieces instead of larger chunks. This is true for any goal you plan to accomplish. It’s like exercising. If you are new to doing it, it can become overwhelming. Instead of spending 3 days a week performing an hour of strenuous exercise, try spending 5 days a week doing 30 minutes of exercise. Of course this would be tweaked based on personal preferences and situations. The key is frequency. Five days of shorter times will motivate you to stick with it versus fewer days of longer periods. Frequency is going to promote a habit that will create lifestyle changes. You have to see it all the way through to the end. The more you expose yourself to the commitment you have made the sooner you will start to see progress.

In conclusion, the four keys to success are (1) be in tune with yourself, (2) define success for your purpose, (3) take action, and (4) see it through to the end.


Pamela D. Ballard  

Are you a Boss or a Leader?

excerpt from an online article..


Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around. Thus you get Assigned Leadership by your position and you display Emergent Leadership by influencing people to do great things.


W. G. Rowe (2007). Cases in Leadership

Are You FIT For Life?

Being fit means you are healthy, in good shape, competent, toned, “wrapped tight”, sound, and able-bodied. We spend so much time trying to crunch activities or accomplishments into now, because we say life is too short. But the truth is life is not short for everyone. Some people live to grow old gracefully. We say life is too short because we don’t know when our life as we know it today will come to an end. Tomorrow is not promised. Well if tomorrow is not promised why should it matter what I do today?


What you do today is really not about you. It’s about what others get from you while you carry out your assignment that only YOU were assigned by God to do. That assignment may be to open businesses, to exhort, to comfort, a caregiver, a dream catcher, to teach, or simply smile. Haven’t you ever wondered why some people that no matter what trials are in their life, you can’t tell because of their countenance? Maybe your assignment is humbleness, being meek and mild. Your assignment can be complex or so simple, yet it is effective. It’s the reason you will be missed when you are gone. So don’t slack today for fear of no tomorrow. As you go about your daily hustle ask yourself “Am I FIT for life?”



Are you Following Ideas Through?

Does your Faith Increase Trust?

Does Fortune Invoke Thankfulness from you?

Does the Family Inherit Together?

Are you Fearless In Transformation?

There are many ways to get in shape, the list can go on. Whatever it is for you always stay FIT: Fully Inspired Today!



Pamela D. Ballard

Timing is NOT everything….by Pamela Ballard

You overheard a stock tip and made a lot of money and you thought “Man, I was in the right place at the right time.” You just landed a job through a stranger and feel like you came across a streak of good luck. So many times when a plan comes together or things fall into place, we often utter the cliché “timing is everything”. Is it?


Have you ever been driving on the highway, coming up to an exit and there is traffic exiting on the highway? The vehicles merging into traffic should wait until they have enough space to merge; but instead they just drive off the exit, into your line of sight expecting you to move over into the next lane. It forces you to pump the brakes and LET them in. Here, timing clearly isn’t everything.

Sometimes when you’re trying to make something happen, you have to be like that vehicle merging into traffic. Sometimes you have to make people notice you, let them see how serious you are and force them to LET you ‘get in where you fit in’. Life is not always a game where you sit on the sidelines and wait for a position to become exhausted before you’re sent in. Life is an experience everyday. In order to experience it, you have to do, you have to be. If there is something holding you back: lack of money, discouragement that lead to thoughts of doubt, or lack of resources examine where you are and where you want to be. What can you let go in order to pick up something that will allow you to advance? It may mean letting go of a part time job that adds stress and picking up a class to gain more knowledge. It may mean letting go of a person who pulls you down and picking up a real friend who pours into you with inspiration and motivation. It may mean sacrificing a little sleep in order to have more time in the day to complete your tasks. It may be for you stopping to rest and sleep to allow your body and mind to recharge.

Whatever it is, a sense of balance must exist. This takes some planning. There are some of you who say you don’t plan anything. Flying by the seat of your pants will not always guarantee landing on your feet, so be prepared to crash physically, financially, or emotionally. There has to be balance of work, play, love, devotion, and worship. There is no one thing or person that will get you to where you need to be. Its time to unlock yourself and interlock in right relationships with God, yourself, and others. What are you waiting for? The right place? The right time? Timing is NOT everything, but the time is NOW!