The Antidote (Part 2)

Last month on January 16th, I released my first ever short story series entitled, The Antidote. I am happy to announce that part two is available. If you did not get a chance to download part one  go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/yb72u7om 

Go to this link to get your copy for part two: https://payhip.com/b/Qe4w

 

 

My Top 10 Movies For This Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I have a tradition of celebrating the whole month of February. I commemorated this month as my “28 days of love” and self-care. In my “28 days of love” I watch movies that have a romantic theme. So, below I have listed my favorite offbeat, quirky and romantic films I suggest for this Valentine’s Day holiday!

My Top 10….

10) Priceless, a French film with Audrey Tautou  

9) My Old Lady

8) Boy Bye

7) The Lovers

 

6) Home Again

 

5) The Last Holiday

4) Pretty Woman

3) How To Be Single

2) Paris Can Wait

1) Love Jones

 

Comment below and share your favorite Valentine’s Day movies…

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Beauty For Ashes!

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

                                                                         (Isaiah 61:2,3 NIV)

In the last eight years my life has been  filled with pain, loss and a lot of hellish moments. I went from living life like the Jeffersons to Good Times. I went from depending on the world as my source to understanding God is my source. I went from being religious to finding a deeper  spiritual connection with God. I went from pleasing everyone else to understanding the power of self-care. 

I had a lot of friends but, as I grew I began to downsize. I went from not recognizing my worth to knowing my worth. I went from undervaluing my gift to valuing my gift. I use to have low self-esteem now I am confident & realize what I deserve. I needed other people to validate my life now I live my life according to my own rules with God’s approval. I found myself minding everyone else business until I learned the power in minding my own business. 

Recently, this year I went through the loss of a family member. I cannot say I am fully recovered but I gave myself time to step back & heal my way. I believe in the power of rising above challenges because what you go through grows you. 

 I strive to be my true self no longer rejecting parts of myself to make other people feel comfortable. In this time in my life I am okay with the woman I am becoming.  I decided to take control of my life, be happy and  make adjustments along the way.

There are six valuable lessons I learned in my life :

1) You cannot do anything without God. If you think you can I guarantee you will be miserable. I know because I tried this method already.

2) Stop comparing yourself to others because you are you. When you start focusing on your own life you become happier and realize how blessed you really are in life. 

3) Other opinions do not matter. People have the right to express themselves anyway they want but try not to take other people opinions personal. You do not need other people to validate you. 

4) Superhero Syndrome. I use to feel like I had to save everyone and go out of my way to make sure they were okay. However, I found out it is not meant for me to save everyone. The people the Lord put in my path are the ones I am assigned too. 

5) Heal Your Way. Do not let people tell you how to grieve. Give yourself time to heal properly. It is okay not to be okay.

6) Let God In. God is a gentleman if you want him to be apart of your life He will be. He is just waiting for you to invite him in.

My life is a constant journey but in my journey the Lord has constantly gave me beauty for my life ashes.

Until Next Time Live Bold. Live Loud. Live Authentically. 

The Cinderella Effect!

She was humble even though she was the underdog she didn’t complain. She dreamed, smiled & stayed sweet through it all. No one knew this handmaiden would become a princess. Her transformation changed everything. As she transformed she inspired women to rise up and reclaim their throne. This was her time to shine !

We all are familiar with the story of Cinderella and the life she had to endure before her happy ending. I believe one time or another we all have felt like Cinderella in our lives. Cinderella was mistreated and abused by people she called her family. However, they were jealous of her and tried to break her spirit. Cinderella stayed humble, kind and loving through all the things she experienced. In the end, Cinderella no longer was a handmaiden  but, she became the queen on the throne. 

I believe Cinderella was able to transform into this elegant princess because deep inside she was always a princess. Many women continue to hide in the shadows because they have believed the lies told to them. They had no clue that the  lies were rooted in envy. They were lies of not being smart enough, pretty enough or good enough to accomplish their heart’s desire. I can relate to Cinderella because all my life I hid behind the mask of insecurity. In my  transformation journey I have learn to rise above criticism, stay humble and wait on my God appointed time to be at the front of the line. When it is your time of reciprocity nothing or no one can stop the blessings  that are due to you!

Below are  five tips on how to create your own Cinderella transformation.

1) Stay Humble. It is hard to stay meek during the times of hardship however, understand your time of testing is also a time of growth. God will bless you if you stay humble; even in the most uncomfortable seasons. 

2) Love Anyway. When you’ve been through things in your life it can be hard to love the people who treated you bad. However, Cinderella loved her stepmother and stepsisters in spite of how they treated her. Love is the answer.

3) Show Mercy. We all deserve a little mercy because we are imperfect people on this journey called life. Mercy allows us to forgive others and help us understand that everyone is at different levels in their life.

4) Be Confident. People may criticize you but do not allow that to stop you from being true to yourself. Sometimes we allow negative words to keep us from being our self. Those who judge, criticize or make you feel bad reveal their own self-hate. Hate produces more hate. 

5) Rise. Every underdog has a time where they are no longer a(n) underdog. They no longer are last in line because they have been ushered to the front. Do not let your  past keep you from reigning the throne. It is time to become the Queen of your life.

 In the end, it is your time and season to claim everything you deserve!

Recap of May Blog Post

As May begins to disappear we are recapping the things we discussed this month. Our May series was Loss, Live & Love where we discussed how losing something or someone gives us a better perspective on gaining a valuable lesson. We also discussed how important it is to find rekindle your passion and live in your purpose.

Below are the links to recap each article:

Lose To Win!
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2016/05/lose-to-win.html 

Romancing The Stone of Your Life
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2016/05/romancing-stone-of-your-life.html

May Theme: Loss, Live & Love!

As we say goodbye to April we welcome May with open arms and prepare for the summer bliss. In our May series our theme is Loss, Live & Love! We will discuss the pains of dealing with loss and how to persevere through losing something or someone we love. We will also talk about living a life we love now not later. The last part of our series we will discuss why living the life you desire is important.

5 Tips On Living A Beautiful Life!

How can you really live a beautiful life? What are you willing to let go in order to gain the life you deserve? What are the keys to living a life based on beauty? Well, you are probably wondering what are the answers to those questions. I can honestly tell you that living a beautiful life begins with cultivating a beautiful mind. In the last month, I have focused on filling my life with beautiful things to see, hear & speak. I have spent time celebrating beauty in a different kind of way. 

I decided not to watch, speak or listen to anything that did not display beauty. In this time of beauty I found out that life is a lot more beautiful than what we choose to see, hear or speak. When it comes to living a beautiful life you have to be intentional. If you lack intention you will continue to see, hear and speak about all the things that is wrong with life. As I grow day by day I realize life is what you make it and if you choose to make it miserable then you will be miserable.

Misery loves company, the more you feed it the more it will gain energy. The greatest question you can ask yourself is what am I giving energy to. I found myself in the last couple years giving energy to things that were irrelevant. I made situations bigger than they really were because I invested too much time into over analyzing. I can now honestly say that creating a beautiful life is solely up to each of us. Make a mental inventory of where your your energy is going.  Find out if  the energy has produced the right fruit you desire in your life. If not, refocus on new things that will serve you in a positive way. Everyone deserves a beautiful life so below are a five tips to help you start your journey.

Below are a couple tips to help you live a beautiful life:

1) Stop over analyzing. I can admit this is one of my huge problems and over analyzing creates problems that were never there. In order to stop over analyzing  let go of what you cannot control, stay focus in the present moment and know God is your ultimate source.

2) Be mindful of where your attention goes. Where your attention goes so does the flow of your energy, so be mindful of how you interpret things & react to others. 

3) Other people issues are not your emergencies. Yes, you want to be the hero for everyone but you will exhaust yourself trying to be everyone she-ro or hero. Do not let other people emergencies become emergencies in your life.  

4) Don’t take it personal. I know this is a hard one but stop taking what people say or do personal. What others say or do are not a direct reflection of what or who you are. What they don’t say or don’t do is still not a reflection of the brilliant person you were called to be. Be confident .

5) Self-Love. Fall in love with who & what you are no matter your flaws. In a perfect world we all are flawless but in the real world our imperfections is what makes us unique. 

To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance. ~Oscar Wilde~

P.S. To make your life even more beautiful you can now purchase my eBook to get five essentials tips to help build your self-confidence.  

Click here: http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/p/ebooks.html  

P.S.S I also listen to podcasts now & here is one I am recommending to you. Click here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/french-kiss-life-by-tonya/id1071406906

February Theme: Learn, Live & Love!

The month of February is finally here and so is our theme for this month. Our theme for this month is Learn, Live & Love! In this month we are going to learn some valuable lessons, live life in an extraordinary way and love every moment of it. In the month of February we celebrate Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, President’s Day and so many other special days in this month. So, get ready to enjoy each article as we discuss more subjects to help you grow into a better you!

The Moment I Fell Back In Love With Life!

Deadlines, schedules, obstacles and routine seemed to cloud my life like smoldering fog. I was beginning to become fed up with the hum drum of life and all that it was inconsistently giving me. I wanted more from this life but it seems as if darts were constantly been thrown at me. I knew life was more than paying bills, going through trials and dying. I needed to put life on pause to hear nature’s heartbeat again. I knew I lost the love affair I had with life. I was determined to fall back in love with life and rekindle the romance I once enjoyed.

I knew my rose colored glasses became smeared with distractions making me miss out on the beauty of life. Life has a lot to offer but sometimes taking a step back to get off autopilot helps recalibrate things. And during the period of recalibration I recognize how out of sync I have truly been for the last three months. Although, Christmas is right around the corner my excitement has been minimized. I have been consumed with making ends meet and keeping my household afloat.

Something has changed about the way I view the commercialized holidays. I no longer see Christmas or any other holiday as a time to spend all your money on gifts. I believe that holidays are a time for gratitude and a time to slow down to fall back in love with life. The holidays are a time filled with life’s romance. Instead of getting caught up in spending lavishly I am deciding to get caught in falling in love with my life. When you learn to appreciate what you already have then abundance will flow. All the other trinkets are just icing on the cake.

So, today I made a decision to fall in love with life. I have to reject the routines, deadlines and schedules to put my life on pause. I am going to spend more time embracing nature, get out of autopilot and cruise to embrace the love of my life- which is living.  I am determined to live colorfully, laugh often & love fearlessly again!

I am going to fall back in love with life!

Recap of February’s Blog Post

In this month our theme was “Love” as we discussed giving love back to yourself, breaking all the rules when it comes to dating & maintaining a long distance love. Below we have provided the links to give you a recap of February articles to inspire you to embrace love & believe in the true power of love!

Restituted Love 
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/02/restituted-love.html 

Breaking All The Rules 
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/02/breaking-all-rules.html 

Long Distance Love 
http://www.theinspirationalcorner.net/2015/02/long-distance-love.html