You are tougher than you give yourself credit for.
You are more resilient than you can imagine.
Your try will take you so much farther than you could ever hope for.
It’s time you stop doubting yourself.
It’s time for you to forgive yourself.
It’s time for you to get out there and live.
It’s time for you to let your voice be heard.
It’s time for you to tell your stories.
It’s time for you to unfold your crossed arms.
It’s time for you to let love in.
It’s time to let your joy out.
It’s time.
*Cassandra turns away from the mirror, unfolds her arms and prepares to embrace all that life has in store*
affirming myself, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Assuming ourselves is crucial, beloveds. Too often we only affirm the negative aspects about our lives and character. We don’t give us the credit we deserve. We dismiss our efforts. We condemn our actions.
It’s time we rebuild ourselves with positive words. It’s time we take positive steps forward. It’s time that we stop doing things that don’t serve us because we are going through hard times.
It’s time to put away: Procrastination. Comfort eating. Apathy. Refusal to make a decision. Refusal to try.
Life is short. I just stopped by to encourage someone. Starting with me. I love you.
My start date has been pushed back another month…*sigh*.
I turned my disappointment into action. I updated my calendar to work on my dreams. I started my “Standing on BUSINESS with Cassandra” channel to encourage folk looking for jobs/starting over. I have bigger plans as creating a virtual system to encourage, exhort and teach folk HOW to stand on FAITH and other fabulous topics. Will have journals, workbooks, word finds, crossword puzzles etc.
I have also been working on my dream to present for corporations etc. Am building PowerPoints and such and all kinds of uplifting things. I want to make an impact.
I am going to do as Kevin Costner did in “Field of Dreams”. If I build it, they may come. Or, not. I want to try. I want to see.
Who knows? Yall may be watching the birth of something that you can say you were down for the ride when she was just a wee lad with nothing…lol.
Be encouraged. Keep pursuing your dreams. If you get a no, see if you can turn it into someone else’s yes. Be a light. Make a way. BE the way.
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: We got this…*sigh*. Feels like life is playing red light/green light with me. Still, I was pretty good at that game…
Looking for a way out. I’m pressing my way through.
Trying to remain comfortable. I’m stretching my boundaries.
Hiding from life. I’m living my life with intention.
I’m no longer settling for less than my best.
No longer do I hold back. I’m moving forward. I’m stretching towards something special.
I no longer look for the exit door. I embrace whatever I find in the room.
I no longer see lack as an excuse.
I no longer allow myself to remain unchallenged.
No longer do I hang my head in despair.
I no longer hold myself back.
No longer will I allow Lazy to run my life.
I’m no longer willing to give myself excuse not to try.
No longer will I get out of the fight. I would take the fight to everything that is getting in my way.
I’m no longer willing to allow disappointment, frustration and all its friends to keep me from pressing through.
No longer…
determined, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: It’s important to challenge yourself from time to time. It’s crucial to demand the best from yourself. It’s imperative that you not allow your life to be tossed to and fro. Life is what you make it. Make it an amazing one.
Your life is trying to give you something. It’s up to you to receive what life you’re trying to give you.
What is it? That’s up to you!
We spend so much time being distracted by noise of our own making. We are afraid to be still. We are afraid to listen to the silence life is trying to speak to us through.
Whenever life puts up a stop sign, we see it as something bad, so we try to blow past the stop sign. We try to rush to put something in the quiet.
Stop.
Listen.
Be willing to learn.
Be willing to change course.
Be willing to do something completely different.
Be willing to change your mind.
Be willing to open your heart.
Be willing.
This is what life has been asking me. I have been willing. I’ve been willing to be made willing…..hahahahaha!
Are you willing?
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Its time for you to receive. Stop listening to the lies that you have to give your entire life away and to put yourself last. We only get this one life. I learn how to live mine to the fullest.
The world is in a big hurry to get you to believe in it’s narrative for you.
Why?
Because, if you are not firmly grounded, beloveds, on what YOU think, on what YOU have reasoned, on what YOU feel is right, then the world can lay on you whatever it takes to get you to conform.
The problem with this is that you may be conforming to things you would never imagine you would choose.
Sadly, many are conforming out of a need to be seen, to be heard, to be loved.
More are conforming to fit in. Anywhere. Any old kind of way.
It’s time to wake up! For ALL of us.
Apparently, I needed to have a tornado come in and turn my life completely upside down, to get me to wake up and see how I had been sleep walking, with fear, through my life.
I had allowed myself to listen to the lies that I was too old, too poor, too this, that or the other thing, to chase down my dreams.
So, I let those dreams run off without me.
That tornado, whew, shook me out of my slumber. It reminded me how truly short life was.
Now, I spend my days tumbling, bumbling and stumbling towards dreams that may never come true.
I have found that the results of my dream chasing are no longer the point or my aim.
My aim now is just to live, love, laugh and hold as many hearts as I can. To encourage as many as I can. To exhort as many as I can.
Wasn’t that my dream before? Yes. Only now, precious now, I do those things free from the fear I won’t be seen, heard, and loved.
Free from the chains of guilt and shame. Free from expectations of myself or others.
Scraping, through all the hard, I found:
My voice.
My gumption.
My go get it.
My “I got this”.
My stick with it.
My “get over yourself, Cassandra!”
My laugh.
My tears.
My sad.
My mad.
My determination.
My tired.
My try.
Hard brought out the best in me.
Hard brought out the worst in me.
Hard challenged me to be hard on me so I could dig out of my apathy. Ah, hard, I appreciate your hardness.
I just stopped by to ask somebody what you they were believing in. Life is what we make it. Life is what we choose.
Believe in yourself. Think for yourself. Choose for yourself. Live for yourself.
We all believe in something. Your faith is trying to tell you something. What is your faith telling you about you? It may be time for you to evaluate. It may be time for you to question. It may be time for you to be willing to listen for a new answer.
This last year has taught me how to be willing to listen, to evaluate, to reassess and to change where I had been going before. And no longer said in my ways. I am no longer too stubborn to willing to listen to myself.
I thought I was open before. I was. Yet I was primarily open to what I thought, to what I believe, to what I hoped. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It can, however, be a limiting thing. I’m done placing limits upon my life.
This is not a lecture for you. It’s just my hope that you will use my tornado to perhaps make some changes in your life. I wouldn’t wish the tornado on anyone.
Have an amazing rest of your day.
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: I’m looking forward to my life. I wasn’t able to say that a year ago. I wasn’t able to say that before the tornado. That tornado changed my life. That tornado saved my life.
Hard times are not here to break you. Hard times. Can’t be used as an open door. To an entirely new way of thinking, believing, achieving and transforming. Use your hard to your advantage.
Stop using hard times as an excuse to beat up on yourself.
Take care of yourself. Stop using hard times as an excuse to put away your me time. Hard times are exactly why you need to continue to be good to yourself. Hard times are really when you need to give yourself the rest and relaxation your body needs.
I don’t know why we give ourselves such a hard time when we are going through hard times….smh.
Lecture over. I think it’s time for a cup of coffee. Who wants to join me?
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Be good to yourself. Be encouraged. You will make it through this hard time. In the meantime, enjoy your day. Life is going to happen whether you decide to enjoy it or not!
I have refused to forgive myself for mistakes made many times in my life.
It has only been going through this last tough, hard year that I realized that I was not a mistake. These hard days has taught me that mistakes simply happen.
I have learned, through every painful, tearful step, that all I can do is try. To do the best I can, and life is going to do what life is going to do. Period and end of story.
As I wait this next chapter in my life. I am encouraged. I am pardoned. I enlightened. I am grateful. For every mistake. For every misstep. For every mishap.
Each one brought me closer to my dreams. Each one told me about myself. Each one revealed the miracle called hope.
I’m learning how to listen to my mistakes. I turned them inside and out now. I take out all the gifts now. I make sure to get out all the laughter now.
We all make mistakes. We will continue to make them. This is how we learn.
I just stopped by it and encouraged someone to stop berating themselves for the mistakes they have made. Your mistakes are talking to you. Are you willing to listen?
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Society doesn’t level best to want to get rid of us when we make mistakes. The world wants to cancel us when we are not perfect. That’s why I love God so much. He loves me. All of me. Warts and all Mistakes and all. How great is that?!
Stop giving yourself such a hard time for your mistakes. They are revealing the diamond in you!
Frustration is no longer frustrating to me. In fact, I no longer call it frustration. I call it challenges. I call it obstacles. And then I overcome. it.
Simple as that. Life is truly what we make it. I’m trying to make my life a good one. As best as I can.
I am reframing what I tell myself. When we tell ourselves is crucial. It’s the ball game. It tells whether we are going to win or lose before we see even start.
I cannot tell you how many times in the last 50 years that I would tell myself I was frustrated and sure enough, I ended up frustrated and mad and annoyed.
I had a conversation earlier today with my sis. Apparently, I was a bit on the annoying side. I was in a silly mood. I felt like being silly. I was silly. It did not go well.
I didn’t get mad or frustrated like I would have in the past. I didn’t feel like I was being picked on or dismissed. I just allowed myself to be me and allowed my sibling to be annoyed with me being me….lolol.
I am learning how to correctly label the things I’m going through. Everything doesn’t have to be bad. Everything doesn’t have to be harmful. Everything does not have to contain gloom and doom within it.
Life is short. What are you telling yourself? Be sure to take all the catastrophizing out of your life. It’s amazing how dramatic we can be, isn’t it?
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: I couldn’t sleep so I got up and did something productive. I’m trying to use everything for my good. Everything is a teaching moment. The question is, are we going to be a good student?!
Why Can't I Be Loud?! 