Just say "NO!" to temptations....you'll be glad you did!

Oh my goodness, this is so hard! I know you've been tempted, so you knoooow what I'm talking about. It seems like temptations only come when things are going so great.....you've lost the 10 lbs you wanted to lose because you stopped eating desserts, but your new booh sends you chocolates to your office, your new man is awesome, but the sexy eye candy you were tryin to hook up with suddenly acknowledges you, you're reminiscing about an old flame (that was so good, but no good) and you happen to run into him, or maybe you decided to stop going to the club (cause you don't dance no mo...Lol!), but your friend is having a birthday party and she wants you to be there......what do you do?

My people, my people, this one is hard for me because I'm still weak in this area.....weak I tell ya! I'm going to share one with you all. What had happened was....Lol! Seriously, I was out one night with my fam, chillin, and looking oh so fly.....oh I was feelin myself too yall! We had partied till they put us out of the club then took it to the parking lot...as we used to say, we tore the club up! As we crossed the parking lot, I spotted an old boyfriend.....oooh baby, I really began to feel myself....because look at me now booh! Yeah I know you want this! Well, he stopped me (I planned on it) and told me how good I was looking and how he missed me (as if I didn't know this). Blah..blah...blah is all I was thinking until he got out of the car.....Lord help me now! Yall that thang there was too fine...okay! I can't hook up with him...I have a good dude waiting on me (before marriage). I went thru it yall...I didn't tell him no to begin with like I should have. I got in the car with him (I did that!) and rode around the parking lot...because me and the fam had an agreement...we came together we leave together so maybe if he would've had a few cute friends it would've been an after party....okay! Long story short...I did not hook up with him, but I sure wanted to (just being honest) and the only reason that I didn't wasn't because I had a dude, but because I was with my peeps. Ooh and I wasn't about to leave them hanging for no dude....pleeeaaase! I count this as a victory although I didn't use any will power against the tempter, but I didn't allow it to go any further than that parking lot. I told him that I had a man and "NO" we can't keep in touch. Why didn't I have the urge to say that from the get go (oh I'm so ghetto right now...Lol!), but really, why?

I believe that most of the time we are tempted by that which we desire most. Really, how many of you that have a man (be honest) have been tempted to kick it with your ex or have kicked it with your ex? You still want that, but you don't want all the other stuff that comes with it. Ladies, this is your ego...mmmhuh, your ego. I've been there, done that, so I'm here to tell you why I didn't say no from the get go. I DIDN'T WANT TO! I wanted that man to swoon over me, I wanted him to remember all of this, I wanted him to wish that he had me.....all of that is just ego trippin! Oh I'm the only one? Whatever! You don't have to admit to it, I will, so step back and let me get delivered! If dude had been fat...you know, if he had fell off then there would not have been any temptation. I like fine, sexy, well dressed men...soooo that's what comes my way, ex's, mailmen, truck drivers, business men, etc. I have matured and grown a lot over the years and especially now that I am reunited with my husband, because there was a time when my motto was "what you won't do, another man will"! I meant it too, for real.....quit playin! Looking back on some of the temptations that I've overcome and the ones that I haven't brought me to a point of really wanting to know "why?" is it so hard for me to overcome all of them. I told you all that I am being honest with myself about everything....so I asked myself and myself said "huh?"....Lol! I had to be real honest about it....I just didn't want to say "NO" when certain temptations came my way. I would weigh my consequences....and if the results were in my favor, I did what I wanted to do. This is not the right way to live your life, but we all have to go through a process of spiritual growth. When we get to that place of understanding then we will be able to overcome any and all temptations no matter how big or small. I'm working on me and I hope that you will do the same....you can begin by sharing some of your triumphs or bloops, whatever works for you. The objective here is to hold eachother accountable...stop cosigning to the madness and tell your peeps "we came together, so we are going to leave together"! Lol!! I fall down, you fall down, we all fall down sometimes, but it's easier to get up when you have a helping hand. This was fun for me....I laughed the whole time I was typing, but I got it done. Until next time...........moving onward and forward!

Wake up call....we all need one!!!!

Today has been an amazing experience! I didn't do anything extraordinary, but I am here....Thank God! This morning was like most of my Sunday mornings, I was awakened by the phone, it was my friend. I should have already been up getting dressed when she called, but I was sleeping too good, I'm talking about good! The plan for this particular Sunday was for me and the girls to get up early( I am always late) and attend church. She came through for a minute, in my excitement to show her my blog site, I didn't even consider the time.....it was 10 am....service begins at 11 am! This sister (my friend) said, "uuuummm yo but ain't going to church are you?" I'm glad she gave me a wake up call (literally) because discouragement had already set in. The thoughts started pouring in...you're going to be late, you may as well stay home because you're not going to get a parking spot or a seat in the Cathedral.......all of that! I told my girl, oh honey I'm going to church....I need a word today, so I'm going to get my word! She was like, "I know that's right!" She went on and did her thing and I began to get my two girls and myself ready for church. Although we were running a bit late, FAVOR showed up as soon as we pulled into the parking lot! The parking attendant asked me to wait a minute because they had a space that had just become available in the main parking lot (closer to the entrance). When we went into the church we were escorted to the CATHEDRAL balcony seating. How awesome is that? AWESOME!!! You may be thinking that this wasn't a big deal....I mean, what's so special about that? Well, the excuses that I was making up to use as a reason for not attending church this morning had been diminished simply because I SHOWED UP!!! Now that's VICTORY for me!

My girls and I took our seat as the Bishop was speaking. I was hoping that we had not missed anything, because I knew that word was for me! The Bishop brought the fire when he said, "Build the Kingdom of God and not your kingdom, because bringing attention to yourself isn't bringing attention to God (BE AWARE)!" When I tell you that word touched me down to my core.......oooohhh yes it did! See, I have recently stepped out to explore my purpose in life and a part of me has been concerned about this very thing.....how can I tell my story and bring God the glory? I was reluctant to share my story because I don't want to make it all about me(ego tripping), but I do want to use myself as an example of God's grace and mercy. I have to be honest with myself about these things....I like attention! I just want to keep it real about where I'm coming from. This word today, which came from 1 Corinthians 3 was a right on time word for ME! I needed to hear that as if my life depended on it, I now know that my future does. The only reason I have a story is because I am chosen by God! It wasn't as if I brought myself out of those situations....I merely acknowledged God's strength in my weakness (I had to learn how to do that) . See when you are chosen(by God), you are targeted (by the enemy). I haven't gone through any of the situations alone, God has been with me, giving me provision and protection! Surely I shouldn't think that he would abandon me now. God is faithful! I am learning to silence my EGO and say, "Less of me and more of you LORD!" I am so glad that I showed up today, because God made my purpose absolute! I no longer have to wonder if this is what I should be doing.....it is confirmed! I will continue to share my story, no matter how painful and ugly it may be.....why?...simply because I am being refined. I will tell my story, live my passion, and change my world.......God demands it!

"Ain't no SHAME in my game!!!!"

As defined by Webster's New World Dictionary, the word shame has multiple meanings: 1) a painful feeling of guilt for improper behavior, etc. 2) dishonor or disgrace 3) something regrettable or outragious. I have clearly, with the help from Webster, defined the word SHAME. Now let's talk about this statement, "Ain't no shame in my game!". If you haven't said it, you've heard it. I bet you're saying yeah,....and? Well, this statement has a derogatory reputation when spoken by most. I took that and flipped it to give me a sense of confidence and power during the most challenging times in my life. Here I go, telling you all of my business.....so! I can do that......now! Been there done that....writing a book about.....okaaaaay!!!

I have this uncontrollable urge to just let it all hang out tonight, but I will keep it tight. Before I go any further....this is a blog about random events in my life that I feel the need to share. Hopefully it will help someone understand that they are not alone.........we all have problems! I want you to realize that it's not the problem, it's you! You must understand that you are bigger than your problem........extremely! So with that being said, shall I proceed.....yes in deed! Lol!!! Okay, where did I even come up with this topic? Well, I was reminiscing about this one time at band camp......NOT!!! Really, I was in a deep thought about my days as a Stripper, Exotic Dancer, for those of you who live on the other side of the tracks. I remember saying "Ain't no shame in my game!" often, and I meant every word of it! I wasn't in shame as a dancer, but everyone else thought that I should be. Why? Because I'm nude? I had one motive, and that was to make money......everything and everyone else was irrelevant. I was not focused on the opinions of others, simply because I knew WHY I was there. Before I ever stepped foot on a stage I had already been validated, so the adoration kept me humble and the haters kept me motivated! So I adopted that statement....I put it into use everytime I heard "Hot Chocolate" the next booty on duty! Lol!!! Over the years I have grown as a woman, as a person, and I have learned to accept myself right where I am. I finally came to the realization that there isn't any shame in my game! I did what I did and that's that! I've been asked, if I could do it over, what would I do differently? I didn't have an answer, but I do now, I wouldn't do anything different! This is the life path that I chose and I'm thankful for the experience.......I SURVIVED! I now have an experience in my life that will POSITIVELY impact someone else......why would I want to change that? I'm thankful to God for allowing me to get over myself and tell the world, "Ain't no shame in my game!" I'm going to keep it real about me, because that's the only way I'm going to change for the better. I'm good now on my way to being Great! I hope that you will get to a place in your life where you can stand up and say, "Ain't no SHAME in my game!" As a matter of fact.......I know you will!

Be honest with yourself, you chose that!

The need to be needed can cause some of us to get outside of our true identity. You begin to want more in life, such as friends, money, love, etc. This desire, if not formed in a healthy way will begin to breed greed. Have you been or are you in a place that you don't want to be, but you created that mess yourself? I bet you are wondering how to get out of it, right? The pain of it all has become too hard to bare, the struggles you face because of this decision(s) is depressing you. I think that if I share one of my situations and how I dealt with it, that would help answer some questions, even if it is completely different from your situation.

I was in an abusive relationship(marriage) that was so painful and depressing, but I was stuck! I did not know what to do and when I would vent to my friends or family all I would get from them was, oh girl please ain't no way I would be dealing with that! That statement made me feel worse, he was my husband! Here I am, back up against the wall, noone to turn to, all ALONE. What can I do? I begin to feel hopeless and dumb....but why? I begin to seek out ways to make me feel better (another setup), but in me doing that, I opened up the portal to HELL! I left the abusive relationship(marriage), only to get involved with a married man(somebody else's husband). Who does that? ME! I did that...wow! Just thinking about it makes me sick, but anywho, let me continue. So, I began to LIE to myself about the situation....girl you married too, and you see how things can get, maybe he needs you like you need him. Lies, lies, lies, and more lies! I tell you, I was in too deep! I'm talking about, I was his woman...okay! We went out, he bought me nice things, he treated me so special, he was soooo attentive, he spent time with me, he just made me feel like a woman......LIES! Realistically, it was not all that, and I'm still trying to figure out what desperate place I was in, anyways when I find that answer I will blog about it..LOL! The truth of the matter was, I was being selfish, and the saying is true, "hurt people, hurt people!". I was hurting, so I didn't care about anybody else, not even the married man....please! All I was thinking was men ain't no good anyway, so what if he's married, she know what kind of man she got. Just UGLY, a hot mess! Then one day I SNAPPED, not in a violent way, but I had an epiphany. After the guilt begin to set in and I really couldn't justify what I was doing anymore, because I knew I was wrong. God dealt with me......still dealing with me! I didn't want to be in that place anymore, but had I fallen in love? With a married man? Come on, you have got to be kidding me! Oh like I said I was in too deep, but PRAYER from the heart will change things INSTANTLY! I battled with it for a minute because at first I didn't want to let go, but when I made the decision, when I begin to LOVE ME again, when I told the TRUTH, oh it was peace instantaneously! I shared this tidbit (book coming soon) of my life to say that nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. You are not in that mess alone! You just have to be honest about your situation with God, quit talking to everybody else because they have issues too! They can't tell you the truth, because they need to take their mess to God too! Surround yourself with spiritually mature people who will have a WORD for you and that situation.....then one day you can do exactly what I'm doing.....Being Honest with Yourself!