Tag: encouragement

You have already won.

If you got up even though you were tired.

You have already won.

If you step in a ring even though you thought you might lose.

You have already won.

If you have decided to try even though the deck has been stacked against you.

You have already won.

If you have chosen love over our hate.

You have already won.

If you have chosen action over apathy.

You have already won.

If you have moved forward instead of looking back in the past.

You have already won.

If you have decided to stay in the fight even though you were behind.

You have already won.

If you have decided to go on, even though you have been left all alone.

You have already won.

If you have decided to love others even though you have been treated harshly.

You have already won.

If you have decided to shine your light, even though everyone else has chosen the darkness.

You have already won.

If you have stayed in a race, even though you have been more tired, you have ever been.

You have already won.

If you have completed the race, lost and have been laughed at, but you still rejoice.

You have already won.

If you have taken your meager beginnings, using for a glorious end.

You have already won.

If you have chosen to remain joyful and hopeful even though everything looks dark and dire.

You have already won.

If you have raised your hands, in victory, even before the race has finished.

You have already won.

It’s not about the outcome. It’s not about the trophy. It’s all about your fight. It’s all about your try. Fight. Try. Enjoy your life. The rest will come out in the wash!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep looking for the victories in your life.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

You don’t have to fight anymore, Cassandra.

Life has ALWAYS been a fight.

ALL my life:

Fighting poverty.

Fighting to get out of poverty.

Fighting to stay away from poverty.

ALL of my black life, my black self had been raised to see nothing but lack:

Lack of finances.

Lack of opportunity.

Lack of provision.

My parents did their best, to instill a strong work effort, to combat this spirit of lack.

Still, beloveds, lack remained. Poverty persisted.

Why?

Because, in part, we weren’t taught how to see, to chase, to pursue, to attract prosperity, and hope for the future.

To be black, we were told, we were raised to believe, was to start, 100 yards behind the start line, for a 100 yard dash race.

We were told we had to work ten times harder than everyone else.

We were admonished we had to be ten times better than everyone else. Just to have a slim to none chance at success.

With that in mind, I fought.

Everything.

Everyone.

Everywhere.

I didn’t get much time to dream. None of us did. We had to fight. We lived in survival mode.

The tornado saved my life.

Why?

Ironically, because I had to learn how to fight:

Fight for my dreams.

Fight old demons of fear about poverty and lack.

Fight doubt.

Fight my way back to peace, love, and joy.

Fight myself to free myself from the bondage of believing my worth was tied up in my job, in my capacity to be on call for the world 24/7.

Fight to stand on FAITH.

Fight to stand on BUSINESS.

You see, once the tornado turned my life upside down, I had to fight to right it once again.

I fought, angrily, with God.

I fought, disillusioned, with Life.

I fought, belatedly, with The Universe.

I fought to get my confidence back. I fought to find my identity. I fought to find…ME!

One day, Jesus quietly came and said “It is finished”. He meant it. I had been scared to believe it. For ME.

Then, God sidled up to my heart and said “You don’t have to fight anymore, Cassandra”.

Astonishingly, I believe Him. About me. Ah, God, I KNOW my worth now. I SEE my worth now. I RECEIVE my worth now.

I have, as the bible says, learned to be content, in EVERY stage I am in. I am no longer terrified to experience lack.

I look FORWARD to my future now. I no longer look to the future with secret dread.

Beloveds, I had true faith, love, and belief, for everyone in the world but me. Smh.

Too often, we allow ourselves to be fed the outrageous/ridiculous lie that we were called and meant to be a slave to the world. We were NOT.

Serve the world, yes. There is a huge difference between service and slavehood.

Service is done from love. With love. Freely. Without conditions. True service takes care of EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE.

Service IS love in ACTION. Jesus came to serve, to love, to give, to share.

Anywaze, God tapped me on the shoulder and told me to rest.

Uncurling my fists, opening my arms, embracing whatever may come, has not been easy. It has come at the cost of:

My pride.

My need to be comfortable.

The chance to ALWAYS be right.

My need for safety.

I had to become open to new things, new experiences, new adventures, new everything.

How terrifying. How exciting.

I just stopped by to tell someone that life was never meant to be lived in a constant state of fear, of dread, of dismay. Life is here to be loved, lived, relished, cherished, gifted, received, recognized, given away, taken in…

Be encouraged. Allow your fight to be over. You do NOT have to fight to be seen, to be heard, to be loved, to be valued. Just keep being the priceless gift that you are. Love SHALL find you. 

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: In case no one has told you today: I  love you. So does He. Nuff said.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Say that!🥰

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLpdWQfs4zU/?igsh=aGRzdGIxZXYzdG8x

This made me think.

Have a beautiful rest of your day.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is what WE make it. Make yours a wonderful one.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

The hard is not always your fault.

The hard is not always your fault.

It is so easy to blame ourselves when hard times come around and we can’t seem to get past them.

Often times it’s not us. It’s just life doing what it does. It’s during these times where we must be patient with ourselves. We have to stop judging ourselves. And condemning our efforts as worthless.

We give ourselves such a hard time when hard times come around. I’m learning to stop doing that to myself. I’m learning how to forgive myself.

I’m learning how not to expect others to rescue me. I’m learning how not to lay all of my weight on my family and friends. I can’t expect them to fix everything. I can expect them to know everything.

In my job search. Every no is bringing me closer to my yes. In the meantime, I rejoice over every opportunity. These opportunities are increasing my faith. These opportunities are showing me that I have made a really tough stuff.

The tornado woke me up from my slumber. I was sleepwalking through life. I needed to have woken. I’m glad I did.

If you find that you are asleep walking through life, please shake yourself away. It doesn’t have to take a tornado or some catastrophe to get you to make changes in your life.

I’ve been doing my best to be a source of encouragement to somebody. I hope I have been. I have spent the past few hours drinking coffee, blogging, listening to uplifting music and enjoying my apartment.

I cannot tell you how many times in the past I had spent my days. In despair and gloom and doom, because I didn’t have a job. I shake my head now thinking about those times.

Jobs come and go. People come and go. Situations come and go. The trick is, how shall we find ourselves after those things have happened? I plan on being a joyful, hopeful individual.

I’m currently drinking coffee out of my favorite crystal mug. My mom love crystal. This is such a special time right now. Time I wouldn’t have if I had a job right now. I am enjoying every jobless second now.

Enjoy your day. Even the unexpected things.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: What are you looking forward to?

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

A shout out for those who have suffered loss.

I just wanted to stop by and curve someone who has suffered a loss.

Hang in there. I’ve really been missing my mom lately. A lot. More than usual. I don’t know why. I just do.

I’m sending out prayers and warmth thoughts to all those who have suffered a great loss. Be encouraged.

We can’t bring that person or situation back. We can think on them with love. We can remember the great times.

It’s OK to miss those we have lost. It’s perfectly fine to grieve situations that we enjoyed. Give yourself permission and space to fill your loss. Then, get up and keep it moving.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: It’s OK to not be OK until you feel OK again.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Stop worrying.

Stop worrying.

Stop fretting about what comes next.

Stop trying to figure everything out all at once. Things take time. Sometimes things take a lifetime. Give yourself time to figure things out.

In the meantime, replace worry with joy. Today is going to get about its business whether you get into it or not. Get into it. Get after it. Dig out as many precious moments as you can.

Rest your mind. Feed your spirit.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: We got this.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Embrace no: One step closer to my yes.

I received yet another no.

I am learning to embrace, to enjoy each no.

These nos are teaching me:

Patience.

Persistence.

Perseverance.

I am learning how to:

Laugh through them.

Rejoice amongst them.

Sing between them.

It’s just like fishing! It takes time for those fish to swim by, take a fancy to your bait, and dramatically offer itself upon your hook.

I love fishing. It’s relaxing. You forget about everything. You enjoy the surroundings. Then…

The hook shakes!

A fish!

A FISH!!

Yet, the battle has only begun. The fish tries to free itself. You, thinking of your hunger, do battle to get that fish onto the shore!

Who shall win?!

Who knows? You just have to keep on fishing.

Life is in our perceptions. We choose, daily, what kind of day we shall have. I am determined to have a fantastic day.

I am done with having a transactional day. Meaning, I am NOT awaiting for a certain outcome, or for a particular person to show up to “make me happy”. I CHOOSE to BE:

Content.

Joyful.

Hopeful.

Simple as that.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have to smile reading this. I started writing it on September the 17th. I had no idea I would be sent an interview invite two days later. I truly had no idea I would be accepting a position on the 22nd.

It just goes to show you, beloveds, that we truly have NO idea what’s around the next corner.

Stop looking, at the hard, and telling yourself you won’t. Stop looking, at the mountain, and telling yourself it’s too big. Stop looking, at yourself, and telling yourself you are not enough.

You are amazing. You are an impact maker. You are a game changer. Get out there and change the game. Starting with your own. 🎯🌍😎

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Rejoice.

Rejoice.

In the middle of hard.

Rejoice.

Smack dab in the middle of tough circumstances.

Rejoice.

In the valley.

Rejoice.

Going up the mountainside.

Rejoice.

Even if you go it alone.

Rejoice.

No matter what.

Rejoice.

After the loss.

Rejoice.

Not because of the win.

Rejoice, KNOWING that all things work together for your good, if you will allow it to. Everything has its purpose. Everything.

I wouldn’t wish the last few years on an enemy. Still, I am so grateful for all the lessons I have had to learn during these tough times. I have learned how to live life with joy in real time.

I have learned to laugh even when there has been nothing funny. I have learned to sing through my tears. I have learned how to reach out for support when I was afraid no one would be there for me.

I have learned that I really can get back up when I have been so tired I thought I couldn’t take one more step. I learned that I could take many, many more steps than I ever thought I could or should. That he cannot be.

Life is a process. Life is a journey. Life oftentimes is not fear. Still, life will give you so much more than you would imagine if you would allow it to.

Everything happened for a reason. Things will. come together in their due season.

Be encouraged.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Rejoice. There is nowhere to go but up from here.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Feed yourself.

Feed yourself.

Feed yourself positive things.

Feed yourself helpful things.

Feed yourself hopeful things.

Feed yourself joyful things.

Feed yourself empowering things.

Feed yourself uplifting things.

Feed yourself knowledgeable things.

Feed yourself.

Stop starving yourself with dread, doubt, and fear. Life truly is what we make it. I’m making my life a joyful one. How about you?

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I feel sorry for my neighbors. I am conducting a concert in my apartment. Lord, I sound like a bag of cats.

Have an amazing day today. Conducted deliciously awful concert in your living room. Take a walk. Read a book. Watch an uplifting movie or show. Don’t dread your days. Embrace them. Enjoy them.

Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. You just don’t know what someone may be going through. Reach out for support as needed. There are people and services that can and will help you if you just reach out. I love you. Keep on keeping on.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Yay!!💃🏽😎

My interview went well.

So much so, beloveds, I was offered the job on the spot!

I accepted, of course. Now, I await the offer letter and passing the background check.

Yay!!💃🏽😎

Won’t He do it?!!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Yall are going to have to excuse me. I have been trying to find a job for more than a year. Yay!!!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!