MY BIGGEST ENEMIES

When the voices of fear and doubt begin creeping in just remember you were made to fly.

The silent times have a way of bringing to the surface our darkest deepest fears. What I fear more than anything in this life is giving up. I hate the idea of me giving up what I believe I was created to do. My art, my craft, my God given purpose.

The unwise words of wisdom. It is those that we love who stand to benefit the most from our decisions. But those that we love are usually  the most antagonistic towards our goals and capabilities. Please understand that it's not coming from a place of hate, but a desire to not see us get disappointed. Maybe it's best to lovingly surprise them.

When your fear collides with your most cherished dream, stand and fight for what you believe in. It takes hard work, resilience and a desire to be the best. Make a conscious effort to make today better than yesterday. If we approach life with a growth mindset, to do better today than we did yesterday. Nothing will prevent us from reaching the peak of success.

You were made to fly.

One Love
Danni

WHEN MISS MOTIVATION...MISS MOTIVATION

Normally I am the one encouraging others to stay strong and positive, to hang in there, to keep on fighting and striving in your persuit for greatness.

Today as I listened to both my kids make various noises and trust me its from one extreme to the next, I cannot help but say that nothing and no one prepares you for the challenges of parenting. Trying to live my purpose which includes raising my kids right (my lifes work), I am just overwhelmed. I have my own hopes, dreams and aspirations, I have to meet the needs of my husband and my children and what I want to do now is bury my head in the sand.

The challenges of life can be so overwhelming they seem to hold us hostage. And you know what, it is ok to admit, like I am admitting now, that you are overwhelmed. I would love to get practical advise from those who have gone through challenging times, how they were able to get through. I especially would love to hear from parents on how they were able to balance it all.

Until then, I am holding on to my faith " I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength" Holding on to my sanity.

One Love
Danni

NEVER STOP DREAMING

The moment you stop dreaming, the moment you stop striving, the moment you stop believing, a big part of you have died.

When I was a little girl, I decided I was going to turn my yard into a park. It was inspired by a picture of a park in my favorite "Sweet Pickles" book. I gathered all my little 6 year old friends and took them to my house. That wasn't hard, my school was next door. I presented my plan to them and was very confident that we could in deed pull it off. Whenever I begin doubting myself my dad reminds me that I was once a little girl with a big dream.

Don't just dream, you should dream big dreams, ridiculous dreams, dreams that stretch you. If everyone thinks you're crazy, then you're probably on the right path. Remember the big things in life were created by ordinary people like you and me. So never be afraid to step out of your confort zone, and make your dream happen.

You were made to Fly

One Love
Danni

NO RUSH NEEDED

Have you ever heard the story of the tortoise and the hare? One day the hare decided to tease the tortoise for being slow. The tortoise then challenged the hare to a race. The hare thinking this was a sure win accepted the challenge. The day came and they started off. As expected the hare was leading the race until nearing the finish line he decided to rest and soon fell asleep. After sleeping for hours, he hurridly jumped up and raced to the finish line, only to realise that the tortoise had gotten to the finish line before him and therefore won the race.

Many morals can be learned from this story, but I'll focus on the most obvious ones.

1. No rush needed. It's a good idea to pace ourselves when working towards accomplishing our goals. It doesn't mean that we don't set high goals or have great expectations. Always remember slow and steady wins the race. As I have said before, micro goals are your best friend. This works great with exercising. It's best to not start going hard or with maximum intensity. Work on winning the small steps or goals that will lead to accomplishing the bigger goal.

2. Dont be sleeping on your dream. Nothing can be accomplished unless we decide to work at it. Keep on trying, dreaming, believing but most importantly, continue working at bringing those dreams and desires to reality. Consistency is key. Doesn't matter how long it may take you to accomplish that goal, keep working at it.

3. Never compare yourself. I believe that everyone has a purpose or calling. No two people are alike. It's never a good idea to spend time belittling others or ourselves. Just be your best self, bring your "A" game and find fulfillment in your blessings.

Sometimes being still or being patient allows us to see clearly the path we need to be on. Slow and steady wins the race. No rush, be patient. You will get there safely and at the right time. For slow and Steady wins the race.

Thanks to Kaity my little princess for introducing me to this Esop' s fable.

You were made to fly

One Love
Danni

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

After spending my morning watching motivational videos about work ethic, it dawned on me just how much I'm lacking and how much I desire to work way harder. Many of us desire greatness and admire people who have accomplished much in their lives. But are we committed to putting in that level of work and dedication to bring our ambitions to life?

That's the question that I have been asking myself over and over again. Truly winning requires an obsession with the desired result. There is a saying that winners win and losers loose. The reason for that is the difference in mindset, not mental ability, mindset. 

Whatever you want to accomplish in life, don't just merely want it, become obsessed with it. Not disregarding the spiritual of course. But begin spending time doing the hard part. The part that removes us from our comfort zone. Success in anything isn't run by feelings and emotions, it's run by principle and discipline. 

Begin your mornings with routines that gear you towards success. It will make a difference in your daily decisions, in your career and in your life. Become inspired, motivated and most importantly work hard.

Don't walk, you were made to fly.

One Love

Danni

TRAFFIC JAM MOTIVATION

The other day I spent 1 hour and 46 minutes stuck in traffic on the Staten island expressway with my 3year old daughter. Trying desperately to get to the Verazzano bridge. Please note that what should be a 10 minute commute under normal circumstances, turned into a horrible start to my day.

This ordeal taught me a few lessons that I found to be very applicable to my quest for greatness.

1. Highway service lane: There are no short cuts to success. Instead of taking the major highway, I decided to take a shortcut by staying on the service lane, thinking it would be quicker. That turned into a disaster. The highway moved much quicker than the service lane did. But the lesson that I learned was that in our quest for growth and greatness, taking a short cut will end up detrimental or disastrous. It's best to stay on the right path.

2. Highway Billboard: While driving I happened to zone in on a billboard advertisement which read "High rise, fire and security". I would like to rephrase that Rise High, fire vs security. In other words at times, for us to rise high, we have to leave the security aka our comfort zone and accept or go through fire or very trying situations. Success never comes easy.

3. The HOV Lane: Take others with you. In order for me to jump into the HOV lane, I needed to have two other people in the car with me. In life in order to gain a level of success, we have to take others with us. Partnerships and mentorship are essential to our growth.

Regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in, zone in on the little nuggets that can bring lots of motivation. They are all around us, even while stuck in traffic on the highway.

One Love
Danni

NOT DEFINED BY MY DARKNESS

I remember the look on my dad's face when I announced to him that I was going to study abroad. I had flunked high school, merely got accepted to college and was continuing the trend of failure. It's not that I didn't care at all about doing well, I just wasn't focused.

A year into college my dad lost his job and I was forced to leave school and find a job. As I saw my college classmates graduate and move on, I decided I didn't want to return there, I wanted a fresh start, a new environment. I wanted to be successful.

So I made the decision that I wanted to study abroad. And with my C's and a few D's neatly written on my well tucked away transcript, I boarded the plane to NY.

Everything was supposed to be against me
1. I came to the US with one semesters tuition- instead, I wasn't kicked out for none payment.
2. I was an international student paying out of state fees- instead I graduated without student loans
3. I always got low grades- instead I graduated with a 3.7 GPA
4. I didn't have a job offer when I came here- instead I always got a job on campus and off campus as well to help sustain myself.

Circumstances at times become the fuel that drives us. For me it was the embarrassment of having to go back to a school when all my friends had graduated, having to find the tuition to complete school each semester and the embarrassment of being a failure. That sparked in me a desire to excel.

Allow your dark moments to fuel your drive for greatness. Don't allow yourself to be sucked in by them, instead grow. Continue reaching for the stars. You were made to fly.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

One Love
Danni