LIFE LESSONS FROM SHELLY-ANN FRASER PRYCE

A few weeks ago I watched a video of Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce at her son's elementary school's field (sports) day. If you don't know who Shelly Ann is, she a track superstar,  Olympic champion, world champion and one of the fastest women in the world.  At this particular event parents were asked to compete against each other in a 100m track race. Shelly Ann competed and of course she won. I found it interesting that she would even compete. But it got me thinking and here are the lessons I learned from that event. 

1. Boldly show your greatness regardless of who is at the table. Never make yourself seem small to please others. Shelly Ann never held back, even in a small friendly competition, she ran with her all as if she was on the world stage. 
2. Rise to the challenge, never back down, even when competing with someone who is considered greater than you. The moms who took on the challenge to race with Shelly Ann knew exactly what she brought to the table but they competed anyway. 
3. Always chase greatness. As these women ran they knew the bar was high and that motivated them to put their all into the competition. It is so important to surround yourself with greatness and to set the bar high for your accomplishments. 
4. Don't look back, stay focused, keep moving forward, you may just run your personal best. 

One Love

Danni

ELIMINATING NEGATIVE HABITS

 

It's not always easy to break free from those habits that hold us hostage. We sometimes self sabotage, we break our promises, we step back into cycles that do not serve us and in the end we feel unhappy, broken and guilty.  

Here are some steps I have taken to break free of some negative habits:

1. Being very clear on why I believe this habit is not serving me anymore. 
2. Thinking about the way I feel after engaging in this activity. 
3. Having a clearly defined goal. It's all about that goal and also having it written on paper. 
4. After determining the goal determine the steps needed to accomplish that goal. 
5. Removing myself from situations and scenarios that will promote that activity. 

Break free from those habits that hold is hostage. 

One Love

Danni

WAITING FOR THE BIG WIN

I am a big picture person, I will tell you the vision and you will figure out the details. My hubby will tell you how we argue from time to time about me not wanting to listen to the details of a story. I am always in a rush to get to the end. 

We live in a world where we want instant gratification. We are always desiring to have our wants and needs met instantly. However, there are times we have no other option but to wait. 

Our dreams and aspirations are no different.  Goals are rarely achieved quickly.  Success is not defined by the win,  although society makes it seem that way,  it is defined by the process leading up to the win.  Every great athlete will tell you that the unseen hours of practice and preparation is what made them great.  

One Love

Danni

FIGHTING FAIR WITH YOUR SPOUSE

When you are in a partnership with someone conflicts and disagreements are inevitable. Some people, myself included, hate conflict but is not afraid of it. However, I believe there is a science to fighting and resolving conflict that is more constructive and can help us grow. Here are some tips that I have used that have helped me to fight fairly. 

1. Taking a step back and determining the real reason for the argument. Is it the current issue being discussed or other things in the past leading up to that moment? Once that is understood I can determine the best way to address the situation. 

2. Not being afraid of apologizing when I am wrong. Sometimes I have to let that ego go.

3. Understanding that life and death is in the power of the tongue and I cannot take back my words. 

4. Choosing my responses versus reacting to my spouses behavior or words. 

5. Seeking to understand and spending time listening versus aggressively trying to get my point across. 

6. The biggest thing for me personally, is understanding the danger of using my words specifically to inflict pain. We both have the power to shred each other with our words. And if it were to go there it would inflict more pain versus resolving a problem. Once you begin fighting with a desire to hurt someone they now have your permission to retaliate. That to me is no way to solve a situation.

One Love

Danni

LESSONS LEARNED AS A MOM

Motherhood is an amazing gift that God has blessed me with. My husband and I can spend hours talking about all the cute little things our kids say and do. But as any mom knows, being a parent at times can be exhausting. Here are some lessons I had to learn as a mom that has helped to prevent burn out. 

1. I am a whole person outside of my kids. I should never neglect the things that bring me joy. 

2. I should hold my kids accountable for their actions. 

3. Avoid taking on their tasks, if they can do for themselves. Of course you can be flexible but on a whole they need to be responsible. 

4. Set boundaries, rules and expectations. And follow through on your word. 

5. Give them age appropriate responsibilities. 

6. It is not OK to disobey regardless of the age.  

7. Let them understand that their actions bring consequences good or bad. 

8. Let them have goals for themselves and work with them to accomplish these goals. 

9. Let them learn to resolve their own problems and make decisions. 

10. Let kids be kids. Let them play and have fun.

11. Understand that kids are not adults, their decisions at times will not be the best. Do not judge them by adult standards. 

One Love

Danni

MAXIMIZING YOUR CURRENT SEASON

A few days ago Kaity outlined to me all the challenges she had in school which to her seemed insurmountable. My question to her was, how do you change that and what is your role in making a difference? Your biggest struggle maybe your biggest superpower. 

If you know me on a more intimate level you know real estate is my jam. Owning more multifamily properties is my daily obsession. But as I began praying for what I wanted more of, I kept getting this thought, " what value does this season serve, and how is my current situation my super power"?

So I began becoming more intentional about getting out of debt, managing my money and paying more attention to the property I currently own. Once I got into that mindset and began taking massive action I began receiving massive blessings.

My challenge to you is to find the opportunities in your season. Make the best use of that season, trust yourself, work hard, look for a need and fill it, use this season to become a master at something. 

 

Maximize your season

 

One Love

Danni

 

LETS DEFINE FAILURE

A few nights ago I got home, fed the kids, gave my three year old a bath, curled up for story time, watched them fall asleep then left for the gym. 

Earlier that evening I was listening to a podcast and the person being interviewed was asked how she found the courage to consistently run long distances. Her answer to that question was,” I just start”.

As Kaity was drifting off to sleep I said to her, Kaity, it is getting so late I may just exercise downstairs. But something in her voice and the question she asked made me reconsider breaking the promise I made to myself. Her question was "so your not gonna go to the gym?" It was non-judgmental but I knew I had to show up to her the way  I expect her to show up. 

How do I define failure? Failure is repeatedly not keeping the promises we make to ourselves. 

It is simple just start, for some the weight of the journey immobilizes us. In those situations keep your head focused only on the next step. So in my case it did not matter how long I needed to run on the treadmill, all I needed to do was start and keep going one step at a time. 

Keep going. Continue keeping those promises you make to yourself.

 

One Love

Danni