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Motivation Mondays: Game Changer
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” Charles Darwin

Motivation Mondays: Game Changer
Game Changer: a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way; a person or thing that significantly affects the outcome of something. Merriam Webster Dictionary
She remembered who she was and the game changed. Lalah Delia
Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Edison
A team wins not because of senior or star players, but due to the game changers, because they do not wait for the chance to score, they create a chance to score. Shahenshah Hafeez Khan
People will try to tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up. In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours. Ken Hakuta
Are You a Game Changer? I don’t remember the first time I came across the term “Game Changer” but, I remember how it felt. It felt farfetched and overwhelming. What would I have to do to change the game? It was a formidable term firmly planted in the land of giants. I must have heard it at one of those chest pounding events where blown-up egos prance around an imaginary stage, reminding the rest of us that we are merely surviving. It struck me as a huge responsibility that only a chosen few could accomplish but, that mindset is not true. I don’t know where that notion came from but, to be alive, present, aware and caring, opens the door for each and everyone of us to be game changers. We can apply those big vision, innovative company principles to our own lives in a meaningful SMART goals way.
How often do you chide yourself for not doing certain key things that call your attention? You are not alone, we all get distracted but it is imperative that we find our way back to the center. With persistence and practice, we can make the decision to change our game and improve our results. We don’t need a parade or flashy accolades; we just need to Be Present in our own lives, and Be Persistent at whatever we do while remaining flexible and open to change. Being present and persistent might sound like an easy, cliched response, however, not much can be achieved unless we give our goals the time and commitment they require. Add being best Practice driven, and even the laziest among us will see results… There is a catch though, the road to self awareness and personal success doesn’t look the same for everyone so, it would be an act of great folly to compare ourselves to others or expect a one size fits all outcome. We need to be clear about what drives us, what gets us out of bed and what we can’t live without then, go do it. What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
READ: 6 Steps for Creating a Game Changer by Mike Myatt: Relentless Pursuit, Be Original, Develop A Clear Purpose, SMARTS(Simple-Meaningful-Actionable-Relational-Transformational-Scalable).
“A game changer is that ah-ha moment where you see something others don’t.” Mike Myatt

Motivation Mondays: Game Changer
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Arthur Ashe
What you don’t deal with will eventually deal with you. Simon T. Bailey
The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings. Kakuzo Okakaura
The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces. Will Rogers
Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. Oprah Winfrey
Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others. Marianne Williamson
What is YOUR idea of a Game Changing situation? Ten years ago, when I started this blog, I had a vision in mind. I wanted to use the blog to help my team stay focused on their daily goals. Two key goals were to encourage them to Be Patient, while reminding them to Be Purposeful. In today’s internet driven, instant gratification world, patience loses her battle to stay relevant on a regular basis. She is shoved aside as we battle each other for top this and top that. In our race to outpace each other with our SEO tricks, fancy footwork, and self-aggrandizement, we forget what got us up and running in the first place. When we act purposefully, when what we do is tied to wanting the greater good for ourselves and others, our work will nudge us to remember the WHY even if we veer off the path for a hot minute in pursuit of the WHATEVER.
About 5 years ago, I met a lady who had the gift of healing and prophesy. I was recovering from a long illness at the time, and I was unsure about what to do with my no longer viable, nonexistent career that had been shredded by health matters and left in shambles at my doorstep. I wanted to propel myself into the stratosphere with this blogging thing but something in my spirit was reluctant. When I spoke with her at a meeting in a friend’s home, in Greenpoint, she said something that has stayed with me. “Do the work as a gift and prayer to uplift others. Don’t spend time counting the gains. Just do the work with purpose and love and surrender the results.” At the time, I wasn’t sure how to react but, as the years have flown by, I’ve come to see the blessing in the message. Instead of wasting time trying to be XX to some ZZ, I’ve learned to focus my attention on doing the work to the best of my ability and letting go of the results. In so many ways, writing this blog has taught me a lot about patience and purpose. It changes my game daily. It challenges me to look at my stuff and learn from my mistakes. It helps me to understand gratitude and grace; especially what people’s grace means. What is your game changer?
READ: 10 Ways to Inspire Yourself When Life Sucks by Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Don’t stop, Good stuff in, good stuff out, Tell yourself you are doing it, Lean on previous empowering experiences, Be realistic, Don’t take it personally, Love on yourself, Use technology to reach out to trusted friends, Know that is it temporary, Plan to make tomorrow a better day.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for SEPT 2018/OCT 2018 are:
09/01 – 03 Labor Day, 5 International Charity Day, 8 International Literacy Day
09/09 – 9 Rosh Hashana, 10 Suicide Prevention Day, 11 Patriot Day,
09/16 – 17 Emmy Awards, 19 Yom Kippur, 21 International Day of Peace, 22 Fall, 22 Oktoberfest
09/23 – 23 Padre Pio Day, 24 – 30 Sukkot, 27 World Tourism Day
09/30 – 30 Sukkot Ends
10/01 – 01 Nigeria Independence Day, International Coffee Day
10/07 – 08 Columbus Day
10/14 – 16 World Food Day
10/21 – 21 World Mission Day, 24 UNO Day
10/28 – 28 National Chocolate Day, 31 Halloween

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Check out the Daily Post for Inspiration. Resources. Idea
Checkout Your Daily Word Prompts
— Check out SheKnows for SheKnows Living
More Below Read more…
Motivation Mondays: Do Not Disturb
“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” Marcus Aurelius

Motivation Mondays: Do Not Disturb
Don’t disturb me, I am disturbed enough already.
Never let your best friends get lonely… keep disturbing them.
Do not allow any thought to disturb your inner poise. Sri Chimnoy
What comes to mind when you see a Do Not Disturb sign? Could it be a sign to step back because the person is in need of rest? Could it be an indirect cry for help because the person doesn’t want to be a burden by asking for it? Could it be a reminder to stop and take stock of the din around us and re-calibrate our own noise level? It is all of the above and more. Is it Visible or Invisible? There are times when we need to put up that fence so we can rest, refocus, and refuel ourselves and get back to work. There are times when we use that message in a symbolic way to hide away from the world, from our troubles, and even from our responsibilities because enough has become too much. Take stock of when your invisible Do Not Disturb sign goes up and reflect on why it is there and whether a new approach is needed. We all need timeout to rest and relax but, we also need to pay attention to when that sign becomes a wall shutting everyone and everything out that could nurture and support us.
Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend who bemoaned the fact that the last hotel she stayed in, the cleaning service staff ignored her Do Not Disturb sign. It was time for her to checkout anyway. What were they supposed to do? Besides, they were concerned that the person in the room was not responding to the knocks on the door so, what would you do? Frankly, there are times when a knock on our visible or invisible Do Not Disturb sign could save our lives. There are times when we are so spent that we feel too wiped to ask for support. Our Do No Disturb sign might go up but, it might also be sending the wrong message… Leave me to rot is never a great option. That is why I added the quote above about never letting those you care about feel abandoned, lonely or lost. Don’t ignore all the invitations to give and receive support from others… Do You?
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock BY T. S. ELIOT
(Redacted)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?
And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?
“If small things have the power to disturb you, then who you think you are is exactly that: small.” Eckhart Tolle

Motivation Mondays: Do Not Disturb
When do you put up your invisible Do Not Disturb Sign? Are you aware of its presence? Our Do Not Disturb sign can be both visible and/or invisible and sometimes we are not even aware that it is there. Some of us use our invisible sign as a shield against the unknown or as a weapon against those we despise. We give them the cold, silent treatment because we don’t want them to know how much we are hurting, and we feel justified in our silent rage. Some put up big, huge, noisy signs in visual, verbal and symbolic relief, and use them to bully, discriminate against or terrorize others while denying their own guilt in their rage. Yet others, escape the world of pain and suffering by hiding behind their invisible signs.
This is an invitation to examine the reasons for your sign and consider an alternative option or approach. Even though escapism seems the ideal approach, it never solves any problems. It packs problems away until they return strengthened and emboldened, ready to straddle you and give you more grief. Try a new way; talk to someone you trust, choose a new form of exercise or hobby; reach out to others who wish you well and make a connection; contemplate the progression of what led to the sign and, if necessary, seek professional help. Above all, give it to the Creator/Universe as an act of freeing yourself from that bondage. It is not easy for so many of us to do but, it is worth embracing the affirmative so we can keep breathing and appreciating the life in our being. Can we at least try?
Love and the Novice by Thomas Moore
“Here we dwell, in holiest bowers,
Where angels of light o’er our orisans bend;
Where sighs of devotion and breathings of flowers
To heaven in mingled odour ascend.
Do not disturb our calm, oh Love!
So like is thy form to the cherubs above,
It well might deceive such hearts as ours.”
Love stood near the Novice and listen’d,
And Love is no novice in taking a hint;
His laughing blue eyes soon with piety glisten’d;
His rosy wing turn’d to heaven’s own tint.
“Who would have thought,” the urchin cries,
“That Love could so well, so gravely disguise
His wandering wings, and wounding eyes?”
Love now warms thee, waking and sleeping,
Young Novice, to him all thy orisons rise.
He tinges the heavenly fount with his weeping,
He brightens the censer’s flame with his sighs.
Love is the Saint enshrined in thy breast,
And angels themselves would admit such a guest,
If he came to them clothed in Piety’s vest.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for SEPT 2018/OCT 2018 are:
09/01 – 03 Labor Day, 5 International Charity Day, 8 International Literacy Day
09/09 – 9 Rosh Hashana, 10 Suicide Prevention Day, 11 Patriot Day,
09/16 – 17 Emmy Awards, 19 Yom Kippur, 21 International Day of Peace, 22 Fall, 22 Oktoberfest
09/23 – 23 Padre Pio Day, 24 – 30 Sukkot, 27 World Tourism Day
09/30 – 30 Sukkot Ends
10/01 – 01 Nigeria Independence Day, International Coffee Day
10/07 – 08 Columbus Day
10/14 – 16 World Food Day
10/21 – 21 World Mission Day, 24 UNO Day
10/28 – 28 National Chocolate Day, 31 Halloween

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Check out the Daily Post for Inspiration. Resources. Idea
Checkout Your Daily Word Prompts
— Check out SheKnows for SheKnows Living
More Below! Read more…
Motivation Monday: Make Peace with Pain
“Make peace with the universe. Take joy in it. It will turn to gold. Resurrection will be now. Every moment, a new beauty.” Rumi

Motivation Monday: Make Peace with Pain
Miguel – Come Through and Chill (Official Video) ft. J. Cole, Salaam Remi
MY WISH FOR YOU…
– Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.
– Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.
– Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
– Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage. Unknown
There is a life-force within your soul, seek that life. There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that mine. O traveler, if you are in search of that, don’t look outside, look inside yourself and seek that. … We are the mirror as well as the face in it. We are tasting the taste this minute of eternity. We are pain and what cures pain both. Rumi
What causes you much pain? Have you tried to make peace with the pain? While some measure pain in degrees, I believe pain is pain… We experience it for different reasons and some of us are adept at finding ways to heal and move on, while others can’t seem to push past the grief and the pain. Sadly, when we don’t let go of our pain, when we are parked in pain, it festers and creates rage, restlessness and eventually illness. Pain can be used in a productive way if we commit to shifting the negative energy into work that helps us heal. It is important for us to take the initiative and follow the path to healing. Instead of parking our memories in painful episodes, we need to find peace in our pain and process it by taking actions that will propel us forward into a healthier space where we can begin to heal. Un-park and unpack the pain. Look at it squarely through an unfiltered lens. Process the pain with care and make peace with the pain. Surrender its stronghold on your emotions. You can do this.
Pain – Poem by Khalil Gibran
And a woman spoke, saying, ‘Tell us of Pain.’
And he said:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.
“Every need brings what’s needed. Pain bears its cure like a child. Having nothing produces provisions. Ask a difficult question, and the marvelous answer appears.” Rumi

Motivation Monday: Make Peace with Pain
Whatever happens to you, don’t fall in despair. Even if all the doors are closed, a secret path will be there for you that no one knows. You can’t see it yet but so many paradises are at the end of this path… Be grateful! It is easy to thank after obtaining what you want, thank before having what you want. Rumi
Peaceful is the one who’s not concerned with having more or less. Unbound by name and fame, he is free from sorrow from the world and mostly from himself. Rumi
Don’t worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? Rumi
What can we do to help the healing process? For starters, so many of us allow our painful memories to become crutches we carry around with us. Get rid of the crutches. Stop leaning on the pain for strength , turn your attention to the good in your life and other choices that can motivate you to heal. Turn within, offer the pain to the source of all and reflect on the things that give you joy. Have faith in your growth and take even small steps daily. Trust the Creator and the bountiful opportunities for healing that manifest once you start saying YES. Shift gears in a focused and positive way by moving forward with your life and doing the inner work to help you find your footing again. When we make new promises to ourselves, we don’t stay parked in the graveyard of old hurts. We take faithful steps and action and we trust that each new day will bring comfort that takes the edge off. If you’ve ever lived with debilitating pain, you’d understand the relief that comes from taking even the edge off. Go to that place and stay awhile… You are welcome there.
Peace Xviii – Poem by Khalil Gibran
The tempest calmed after bending the branches of the trees and leaning heavily upon the grain in the field. The stars appeared as broken remnants of lightning, but now silence prevailed over all, as if Nature’s war had never been fought.
At that hour a young woman entered her chamber and knelt by her bed sobbing bitterly. Her heart flamed with agony but she could finally open her lips and say, “Oh Lord, bring him home safely to me. I have exhausted my tears and can offer no more, oh Lord, full of love and mercy. My patience is drained and calamity is seeking possession of my heart. Save him, oh Lord, from the iron paws of War; deliver him from such unmerciful Death, for he is weak, governed by the strong. Oh Lord, save my beloved, who is Thine own son, from the foe, who is Thy foe. Keep him from the forced pathway to Death’s door; let him see me, or come and take me to him.”
Quietly a young man entered. His head was wrapped in bandage soaked with escaping life.
He approached he with a greeting of tears and laughter, then took her hand and placed against it his flaming lips. And with a voice with bespoke past sorrow, and joy of union, and uncertainty of her reaction, he said, “Fear me not, for I am the object of your plea. Be glad, for Peace has carried me back safely to you, and humanity has restored what greed essayed to take from us. Be not sad, but smile, my beloved. Do not express bewilderment, for Love has power that dispels Death; charm that conquers the enemy. I am your one. Think me not a specter emerging from the House of Death to visit your Home of Beauty.
“Do not be frightened, for I am now Truth, spared from swords and fire to reveal to the people the triumph of Love over War. I am Word uttering introduction to the play of happiness and peace.”
Then the young man became speechless and his tears spoke the language of the heart; and the angels of Joy hovered about that dwelling, and the two hearts restored the singleness which had been taken from them.
At dawn the two stood in the middle of the field contemplating the beauty of Nature injured by the tempest. After a deep and comforting silence, the soldier said to his sweetheart, “Look at the Darkness, giving birth to the Sun.”
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for AUG 2018/SEPT 2018 are:
09/01 – 03 Labor Day, 5 International Charity Day, 8 International Literacy Day
09/09 – 9 Rosh Hashana, 10 Suicide Prevention Day, 11 Patriot Day,
09/16 – 17 Emmy Awards, 19 Yom Kippur, 21 International Day of Peace, 22 Fall, 22 Oktoberfest
09/23 – 23 Padre Pio Day, 24 – 30 Sukkot, 27 World Tourism Day
09/30 – 30 Sukkot Ends
10/01 – 01 Nigeria Independence Day, International Coffee Day
10/07 – 08 Columbus Day
10/14 – 16 World Food Day
10/21 – 21 World Mission Day, 24 UNO Day
10/28 – 28 National Chocolate Day, 31 Halloween

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Check out the Daily Post for Inspiration. Resources. Idea
Checkout Your Daily Word Prompts
— Check out SheKnows for SheKnows Living
More Below! Read more…












