How to Stay the Course

How can you storm past the obstacles in your path to success? 

Imagine you're running a race on an obstacle course. If you keep your head down and merely jogged you won't have the momentum you need to jump the hurdles (knocking them down won't make you lose points in this race) or scale the walls.

To achieve your ultimate success without being knocked off-course, you'll need two tools:

•      Endurance
•      Destination  

Fuel for the Journey

The best athletes know that rest is as important as practice. In order to knock obstacles out of the way, achieve your goals, and stay the course, take time daily to refuel and recharge. How you feed your mind is just as important as fueling your body. Consider who you're around, what you read and what you listen to as your fuel. We don't want to run our race on empty. Let's build our endurance muscles for those obstacles by feeding our mind and body with the best ingredients and let's educate ourselves on how to best meet our goals.  

Maintain Your Momentum

Although some love moving fast! It's not always best to go from 0- 80, however once we build our momentum and get our energy flowing we're able to regulate the ebb and flow. Some hurdles call for a high leap and others a strategic climb, however, all require momentum. Whether the goal is to lose weight, start a business or save money, you have to be consistent. Hurdles will come, like gaining 2 pounds this week or those super cute pair of shoes on sale, however working diligently with the finish line in mind (even if it's not in view) will help keep you on track.  

Destination = Vision

We know the finish line is there however, we can't always see it. You already know where you’re going so on the other side of a mountain of debt, is financial freedom. On the other side of that paperwork is a non-profit status so you can serve in a greater way.  You know exactly where you're aiming to be, so let's view the markers along the race letting you know where you are. Writing your goals and having an accountability community is so important. Share your vision, it doesn't mean everyone will agree with you however you can find that partner to help you stay accountable to your ultimate goal. You may have heard, "get an accountability partner" before, however its particularly impactful when you're faced with obstacles or stumbling blocks on your path towards success. Make the time, ideally a few minutes each day, to visualize your success. Imagine it! Feel the joy! Truly building out the experience in your mind will help to make it a reality.

Building your endurance for the journey and keeping the vision of your ultimate success will ensure that you turn mountains into molehills.

How will you build your endurance to overcome your current obstacles? Let us know in the comments below. 

About the author: Sister Mothyna James-Brightful is a self proclaimed “Self Love Revolutionary”. She has spent the last decade empowering women and girls to live authentic lives. Sister Mothyna is the Visionary Director and Co-founder of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation. Sister Mothyna is co-author of Because I am a Queen...100 Affirmations for Daily Living and author of Engage.Inspire. Prevent. Educating Teens on Sexual Violence. Stay connected www.hwhn.org: Twitter @mothyna

Are you set up for success in 2015?

You made it! 2014 is coming to a close in just 28 days! Some months went quickly and others, well they couldn't have ended fast enough. As I reflect I want to share with you how we can make 2015 ROCK! Setting clear goals for the next 90 days is great way to start.

Let’s plan to push hard in the final days of 2014 because it isn't over yet and having a remarkable 2015 starts right now.

Set Clear Goals….

Often we declare a desire to get fit, get out of debt, get more organized or finally start that business. Have you ever come up against real challenges in the process of bringing your desires into reality? Are there desires that you have which have remained an elusive dream? It's time to elevate every dream into a goal. What's the difference? The difference between a goal and a dream is a set lifeline. (Example: I will finish my business plan by Feb. 1, 2014.) It's clear, either you did or you didn't. As you set goals to help you reach your dreams, every action is bringing you closer to the reality you truly desire. Therefore, you are breathing life into creating your brilliant reality. In order to achieve your dreams you must set goals that breathe life into your very existence, which all connects back to your unique purpose in the world. So instead of a deadline set Lifelines as you move toward your dreams.

Have you ever said, “There isn’t enough time in the day”?  In reality we have the same about of time as billionaires, world class athletes or your favorite 5 year old. Life isn’t about time-management. Can you really manage time? Rather, focus on managing what you do in the time that you have. Instead of setting large vague goals by the end of the year, start with goals you can accomplish within each quarter. There are 4 quarters in a year, comprised of 3 months each, which is roughly 90 days a quarter. Setting goals per quarter is not as intimidating as a whole year and allows you to push yourself. What's up for you in your next 90 days?

For every goal you set, make sure you’ve noted milestones along the path. A milestone reminds you that you’re on task to reaching the big goal. Sometimes we think we’re not hitting the mark because it doesn’t look the way we think it should. However, you won’t know unless you’ve created markers or milestones along the way. Think of it this way, this is not a sprint rather it’s more of a marathon. In every marathon, there are markers along the path. Those signs are a reminder that you may not have reached the finish line yet but you’re one more mile toward accomplishing your dream. At each mile, there is a crowd to cheer you on and each mile feels like a win. Too often we come closer and closer to our dream yet we don’t even know it because we haven’t taken the time to celebrate our small wins along the way. Celebrate your wins!

Start now!!! I’ve said this a few times already but it’s worth repeating. We all have dreams, yet you may have some negative chatter in your head saying you can’t do it. Or it’s too big and we sometimes give into that voice and say we’ll do it later. “I’ll start in January” is a favorite stall tactic. WHY?

Start now. You’ll never be less busy. There is no guarantee you’ll have enough money later. The only guarantee we have is NOW. Give yourself the gift of your dreams and start in the present. It may not be easy but you are worth it. Remember, success and failure are both products of your thoughts.  What are you thinking? What are you focused on? Remember set clear lifelines for your goals. Identify milestones in the beginning of the process and most importantly start now.

About the Author:

Sister Mothyna James-Brightful is a self proclaimed “Self Love Revolutionary”. She has spent the last decade empowering women and girls to live authentic lives. Sister Mothyna is the Visionary Director and Co-founder of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation. Sister Mothyna is co-author of Because I am a Queen...100 Affirmations for Daily Living. Stay connected www.hwhn.org: Twitter @mothyna

This is It! Don't Rehearse

Have you heard the saying, how you do one thing is how you do everything? A friend of mine shared it with me this past week and then it popped up in O magazine. Serendipity! The phrase also reminds me of what my high school tennis coach used to say to me. How you practice is how you play.  During my two year career on the tennis court, this saying made me realize when I wasn’t practicing with my all. I would run slower if I was tired or stopped short on a swing instead of carrying it through and sure enough I would do the same thing when it came to a game. I finally got tired of losing and I knew I need to do something different. 

Either I wasn’t good enough or I wasn’t giving it my all. How often do we decide that “this” doesn’t work only to realize that it would if we did it to the best of our ability? I decided to practice with my all.  It was brutal. Nothing about playing tennis or any sport came easy to me. However, that final year, all my sweat equity paid off. I earned a gold medal in Doubles and bronze in Singles. Not bad for a girl who almost failed gym. I just remember thinking, “this is it”. What made the difference wasn’t just how I played the game, but how I practiced for each game. Fast forward a decade, quickly becoming two but who’s counting, and I’m witnessing the lesson come to life again.

What would happen if every day you showed up as if This Is It? 

Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers of the last century.  This would be difficult for anyone to dispute.  Recently, I was watching a clip of Judith Hill and Michael Jackson from his This is It tour which we know never saw one concert performance due to Michael’s passing. Okay, so I wasn’t actually watching the clip at first. I was at my computer working on this newsletter as a matter of fact and the song “I can’t Stop Loving You” began after I listened to another of Hill’s songs on YouTube. I’m thinking that sounds like Michael Jackson, totally forgetting about the duet she was schedule to perform with the King of Pop. I looked at the video and it was at the moment when the camera panned the audience of about oh… 13 people.  The clip is from a rehearsal for the This Is It tour. In the large stadium to witness the magic was only the band, backup dancers and critical staff, but they’re performance was worth of a sold out show to thousands. It wasn’t perfect but seriously it was darn good. You could see Michael giving Judith instructions and even singing out instructions to the band. Uhm… could you have someone recorded your practice and it be nearly as perfect as the live show? I mean seriously, what would happen if we showed up each day as if this is the show not a dress rehearsal?

We have to live life one day at a time. We don’t have any other choice. And factually nothing is guaranteed. Michael didn’t know that we’d never see the live concert but his dedication to his craft showed u,p even in during practice time. The day before your life changes is like any other day.

So whether we’re working to start a business, play an instrument, perform in an arena, jump start a career or even a build a family, every day we should work to build our lives. You’re the boss. You are the Chief Experience Officer (hey I kinda like that) of your existence and we have to show up knowing that this is it. It won’t always be easy. Yet, shoot for the stars. Repeat what works until you get it perfect. Ask for what you need, when you need help (even Michael had a coach). Reinvent yourself when necessary. However, whatever you focus your life on.   

Don’t rehearse! Always show up and play full out! This is it. 

About the author: Sister Mothyna James-Brightful is a self-proclaimed “Self Love Revolutionary”. She has spent the last decade empowering women and girls to live authentic lives as the Visionary Director and Co-founder of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation. Sister Mothyna is co-author of Because I am a Queen...100 Affirmations for Daily Living and is currently working on her forth coming book Engage.Inspire. Prevent: Tips to Educating Teens on Sexual Violence. Stay connected www.hwhn.org: Twitter @mothyna

Happy New Year!

Hey there!

We are thrilled to say Happy New Year! We want to start off the new year in true gratitude, so thank you for being a part of our family. Last year was good to us. It wasn't easy but it was good. It had it's challenges but also its triumphs. With your help 2013 was powerful yet, we know that greatness is still available. We're clear that 2014 will be unrecognizable, because while we have big plans there bigger plans in store.

We encourage you to join us in knowing that you are Unlimited! That your future, your dreams, your goals are bigger than you can see right now. The impact that you're going to make in 2014 will surpass the limits that you see. We would love to be with you during the journey.

So let's go! Let's make 2014 the year that made a difference in our limitless life. 

In Sisterhood,
Maria, Monokia, Adia and Mothyna