When opportunity knocks, OPEN!!

Have you ever missed a job or a school opportunity?? I have, it’s not a good feeling.  When I graduated from Georgian Court University with my BA I wanted to get my masters degree right away.   Silly me, thinking I was going to have kids right away, I put it off. Well, I ended up not having kids for another three years.   And here I am 14 years later and still don’t have it.  That, to me counts as a missed opportunity.  I had the time, the resources and the stamina to do it back then.  Now, although I still can, I have fewer resources, less time and NO stamina. LOL There is most defiantly consequences to putting things off and missing out on opportunities. 

Many times we miss out because we think we have all the time in the world.  We live as if life doesn’t pass us by.  Other times, we are simply too afraid to try new things, take chances or push ourselves to the limit.  I have learned the hard way that time does pass us by, and that fear is nothing but a feeling that paralyzes us with made up thoughts of “what ifs,” Now that I know better, I do better.  But the reality remains that it will take a lot more effort on my part that it would’ve taken when the opportunity first presented itself. I like this quote…. “You must realize, that fear is not real, it is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.  Quotesparade.com

What am I trying to say…..? This is your day to revisit those opportunities you lost.  Some might still be within your reach and some we simply missed out on.  Don’t allow another day to pass you by. Take chances on what you love doing, take leaps of faith, experiment with taking your hobbies a step further.  Live your life to the fullest.  This morning I posted a status on FB that I woke up thinking about “I don’t want to live wishing I was in a better place. I want to make the place that I’m in, better.” That thought made my day.   To think that I have that much power over my life is mind bottling.  I can choose to not miss another opportunity as long as I live.  From this day forth lets vow that when opportunity knocks, we will open our doors wide! !!! Lol  

Thanks for reading FGAL readers, you are my inspiration! J

Do you believe in missed opportunities?

Do you believe in missed opportunities? How about in the idea that we have the ability to delay things in our life? or do you think everything has a divine time that it needs to happen? 

This is a tricky question for me. First because I believe in ceasing the moment, taking chances, walking through open doors and in making the most out of life.  I also think that there are many factors that can contribute in keeping us from fulfilling what we are capable of achieving. Things like: fear,  our surroundings, acquaintances and at times even family members can play a part in being hindrances if we allow them to be.  

That said, I have constant battles with the mentality that keeps people in "waiting" for years; waiting to make a positive impact in one way or another.  I can't imagine why anyone would want to wait for the right time to do good, feed the hungry, encourage, inspire, give words of hope, mentor, or lend a helping hand. I can certainly understand that there are things that require a period of preparation, things like; teaching and preaching and of course all professions. But that's exactly what it should be a time of "preparation," not years of meaningless waiting.

 I have asked people, "what are you waiting for to do what you should be doing?"and because they don't know what to respond they say " I'm waiting on God's time" I want to yell " TO DO WHAT HE HAS CALLED US ALL TO DO??" his time is NOW!!  should I say it in a thunder voice?? Lol 

I will never tell you that because you have been waiting for years for God's time to do whatever it is you feel a passion to do, that there is no hope. In the words of Dr. Gabe Salguero, "We all miss opportunities and maximize others. The idea is to remember even when we miss opportunities they are not beyond God's love and that opportunities made or missed don't determine our destiny"

Missed opportunities however, in my opinion, make us waste time.  Some of us lose our youth while in waiting, and with it, our strength, vigor and energy.  If you have a passion to do something that will benefit society in anyway;  don't waste another minute. Get out of that waiting room, the Doctor is calling your name! 

Although in this post I'm referring to fulfilling our purpose and passion. Next week I will be talking about missing opportunities in love, jobs, and friendships. 

 Have a great weekend! 

My journey to finding purpose

I’ve been in reflective mode all day long.  After the Oklahoma news from yesterday, I could barely sleep.  I kept waking up and weeping for the parents of those children that died in that tornado.  I could not bare to put myself in their shoes, not even for a moment; the pain has to be unimaginable.   When things like this happen, they make us cherish the ones we love.    May God comfort their hearts as we continue to pray for Oklahoma.

As I mentioned in my last post, living without purpose or vision it’s like going around and around in circles; doing the same things over and over without any sense of accomplishment.  I realized that I had been merely living to get through the day.  Life is too short to live without a vision; a vision gives you motivation to wake up in the morning.  It gives you a reason to live an abundant life filled with joy and contentment. 

For me it came in an unexpected course of events.  I never thought that offering my house

to be a place of meeting for a monthly class was going to lead me to my purpose.  After the year was complete, we graduated as “Reinas” (queens) and indeed we felt like queens.  We had a glow, a determination, a new found vision, and an eagerness to go on to our next phase.  In my case, the next phase was to partner up with another graduate and begin our own “Reinas” class.  What an amazing journey it has been.  I can only tell you that having the privilege of sharing these classes and my own experiences with others has been what I was born to do.   

The idea that I will be able to inspire, empower, mentor and help guide women to have their own enlightenment, and find their purpose, is nothing short of a privilege.  I can tell you that there isn’t a day that I don’t wake up thinking about my class.  I think about ways I can make a difference in their life, ways I can decorate my classroom so that they will feel like they have arrived at a safe haven; a place where they can kick off their shoes and be themselves.  A few months after starting my class along came my blog. I found a new found love of writing; another way to inspire, empower and mentor.  I have found my purpose indeed. 

I encourage you to find that “thing” that fills you, moves you, inspires you or even agitates you.  I guarantee you that your purpose is intertwined in whatever it is that awakens those feelings inside you.   Until you find what that is, you will only be doing the “hamster on the wheel” dance.  You will be making all kinds of detours; making bad choices, focusing on negative things, finding faults within yourself and others; and living a purposeless life.  

Don’t wait another minute, start living a purpose filled life. 

Whats your purpose?

What’s your purpose? Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling an indescribable emptiness?  It almost feels as though you have just stepped into the twilight zone.  Your world feels like a place where everything just goes around and around in circles.   Here is spring… again.  Summer…. again.  Fall… again. Winter….again; then it starts all over again the next year.  Nothing seems new and exciting; you are stuck in a merry go around. This happened to me a few years ago; I hated to wake up on Mondays.  It felt like Groundhog Day!  Get up, get the kids ready for school, get ready for work, pick up the kids, make dinner and put the kids to bed.  This feeling went on for a year or two; I didn't know what was happening to me.   

I know it sounds cliché but something did happened that started to change how I felt. At the beginning of the year I volunteered my home to hold meetings for the one year “Reinas” course.  Once a month about 13 women would gather in my house; we would share experiences and learn from the curriculum.  Slowly but surely, I started to feel differently.  I began to look forward to these meetings and preparing for them, was part of being able to actively participate. Little did I know that the content was changing my life.   

We learned about our personalities, our identities, and our strengths.  We identified our dreams by making vision boards.  We prayed for one another’s petitions, shared concerns, encouraged one another and cried with one another.  By the end of the course I realized what I had been missing for the past two years or so.  It was purpose, along with spiritual corporate fellowship.  There is great power in the unity of people that want to grow and make a positive influence during their lifetime. 

My mindset began to expand beyond my circle. I opened my heart to receive from others as well as to give.  I dared to trust and began to be trusted in return.   The bible says that without vision (purpose) the people perish.  Nothing could be more true, to live without knowing what your passion is, it’s like going around and around in circles.   We are all born with a spiritual whole inside our hearts that can only be filled with purpose or passion.  It cannot be filled with things, money, or fame.  It is not until we find our purpose through God that we feel fulfilled.   

Love you FGAL readers! thanks for reading :)