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

AUTUMNS LIFE'S LESSON

Every season brings its blessings and autumn is definitely no exception. I love the crispness of the air when September rolls around. My mood and emotions change as I begin looking towards getting together with friends and family.

Autumn identifies itself by the shedding of leaves which happens regardless of the temperature during the season. And we know to look forward to it, because it happens every single year. A few lessons can be learned from autumn which I believe are worth taking note of, and are applicable to our lives today.

1. Autumn signifies shedding or letting go of the old. Think about it, would it make sense if we had spring and no fall? Can you imagine how crowded and over grown the trees would become? In our own personal lives, what are the thoughts, fears, activities, relationships, friendships, habits, past failures that we are holding on to that are worth letting go. For us to move forward and go into another orbit, we have to let go of those things that we know are holding us back. TD Jakes said "when we hold on to our past, we do so at the expense of our destiny". It is important to take inventory of our life, take note of those things in our lives that need shedding, and shed them. The bible speaks of the pruning. This is another example of getting rid of the old and making way for the new.

2. The falling of the leaves happen regardless of the temperature of the season. Once the month of September rolls around, the leaves begin to change and the fall happens. It can be a warm autumn, or it can be a cold autumn, it doesn't change the outcome, fall still happens. We must know our season to let go of the old, and we should make that decision regardless of what others may think or feel. Our calling to greatness is by divine design and should not be handled lightly. Therefore when you know in your heart the time has come, it is movement time. Do not allow others opinions or the activities that are going on in our lives (the temperature) to prevent us from making our decision to move forward.

3. Autumn's shedding, leaves the trees bare for winter's assaults. When we let go of those things in our lives that prevent our growth, we become vulnerable to life's assaults. It is during these times that we may become criticized, or life just seems to become harder. The road to greatness, is never straight and easy, but has many challenges that are essential for building strength, endurance, growth and tenacity. These challenges stretch us and prepare us to handle the breaking point. And for us to make it through each challenge we have to have grit.

4. Autumn leaves us open for the miracle of spring. Letting go of the old, allows us to be prepared for spring. The falling of the leaves onto the ground provides nourishment for the soil which intern nourishes the trees for a better spring. Death to self always creates a new person. Therefore letting go of the old is essential to growth.

What are the life's lessons that you have learned from the autumn season. Please share them with me. I would love to hear them.

One Love
Danni

SPRINGING FROM ROCK BOTTOM

When you have truly hit your rock bottom, and you know you have put your absolute best forward, never, ever give up, keep on hoping, keep on believing, keep on working, your break through is around the corner.

In those moments when your break through doesn't seem like it's coming to fruition spend time:

1. Evaluating your actions. Have you really tried hard enough or are you still short changing yourself by not putting forth your absolute best.
2. Brainstorm to find other ways or techniques you can employ to maximize on your efforts.
3. Get a mentor, someone who has excelled in your desired field and draw information from them. Have them guide you.
4. Do a thorough research in your field, maybe you are missing something that can assist in your growth.
5. Relax, your break through is around the corner.

One of my favorite stories in the bible, is the story of Joseph. Before he was elevated he had truly hit his rock bottom. Think about it, how much lower could he have gone? But there are two things Joseph did that we should pay close attention to and imitate:

• He never allowed his resume to grow cold. Even in jail, he continuously put forward his best, having excellent work ethic and constantly growing. Lesson: Never slack off even at the bottom. 

• He worked his network of friends. By asking his jail mate who was about to be released to remember him when he got elevated he was able to secure the second highest honor in Egypt. Lesson: Work your list of contacts, you never know who will assist in your growth.

Please stay true to your calling, don't get discouraged. You were made to fly.

One Love
Danni

THE HABIT PROJECT: HAVING EXCELLENT VISION

THE HABIT PROJECT: HAVING EXCELLENT VISION: I remember sitting in my car one day praying about making a particular decision in my life, and really wondering if God was hearing me. Afte...

HAVING EXCELLENT VISION

I remember sitting in my car one day praying about making a particular decision in my life, and really wondering if God was hearing me. After praying I opened a magazine that was sitting in my lap, and there in front of me was a quote with a picture of the very thing I was praying about. The quote said, "Vision is looking beyond the obvious, success is doing something about it". Wow, that got me to the very core.

How many times have we wavered in making a decision that we know will forever alter the course of our lives in a positive way? How many times have we allowed our fear to dictate our next move? "God places the best things in life on the other side of our fear" Will Smith. It is moments when things don't seem to be coming through that fear and doubt tend to creep in. Understand that the will to persevere doesn't come easy. But if you are confident that this is what you were called to do and you will know because that desire keeps eating at your core, you persevere, you step out in confidence and you work harder than you have ever worked before. I promise you, it will come to pass. I must add, that to really know your true calling, you should pray and ask for guidance, I am sure God will provide a clear, concise answer by driving you towards His purpose for your life.

We thrive on certainty. No one wants to make a decision that one is not sure of its outcome. But I have learned from my own experience and the experience of others that stepping out into uncertainty isn't such a bad thing. "Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass" Paul Meyer.

So if the goal is to go back to school and complete your diploma or degree, step out of your fear, and your doubt and make it happen. If your goal is to choose a different career, one which rewards You as a commissioned agent instead of a salaried person. Then by all means, you go for it. You have to step out of your fear and doubt and make it happen. The greatest challenge may be from loved ones who out of an abundance of caution, may give what could be considered as negative advice. Step out of your fear and doubt and push push push towards your goal. Dont let anyone clip your wings, YOU WERE MADE TO FLY.

I encourage you to step out and make your dream a reality.

Leave me a comment.

One Love
Danni

THE HABIT PROJECT: STOP GAZELLING IT THROUGH LIFE

THE HABIT PROJECT: STOP GAZELLING IT THROUGH LIFE: Every day in the Safaris in Africa the gazelle wakes up with one intention. That is to run for its life. The gazelle understands that for it...