584 days and counting. Keep stacking days.

584 days.

584 consecutive days.

584 consecutive days of posting encouragement to whosoever will.

584 consecutive days of it appearing like my labors have been in vain.

584 consecutive days of encouraging myself.

584 days of wondering if IT will ever happen for me.

584 days of fighting fear/doubt/discouragement/disappointment and every one of their friends.

584 days of finding joy on the other side of hard.

584 days and counting…

Keep stacking days, beloveds. We CAN. We WILL. We HAVE to!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep going.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Keep failing forward.

Check out this post on Lemon8! https://v.lemon8-app.com/al/OgNcbcmfpm

I have failed repeatedly these past few months. Still, beloveds, I have been exposed to new things. Like Lemon8. Had never heard of it but introduced as folks on my TikTok requested to follow me on Lemon8.

I trucked on over and see they don’t like things over 59 seconds. Alrighty then.

Later, Capcut reached out inviting me to apply for their Capcut Creator Program and I needed to submit three videos using transitions, filters, editing, music etc. The three I selected had fantastic voice-over, music and photos but no filters or transitions as I had not learned much on them.

I submitted them. I prayed. I asked for prayer. I waited.

I heard back. The answer was no. The answer was resubmit, in 7 days, including videos with transitions and filters.

I made notes. I created another video. I added some filters. I will create more and resubmit. I had been praying for direction but this was never in my mindset: To be a template creator.

Now, I have something to shoot for. I never would have had the opportunity had I not been willing to try, fail, try, fail again, put out my imperfect self, fail, try, rinse, and repeat.

This has me thinking higher. With more effort, training, and trying, beloveds, I have the opportunity to keep putting myself out there to be πŸ’° monetized one day. Hopefully.

I am opening myself up to new ways to present my why to the world. I am willing to be led. I am willing to be obedient to doing what The Universe has asked and not just being obedient to what I want The Universe and God to bless.

The not now did not discourage me. Even I knew they were amateurish in nature. They were. They were some of my first attempts.

I just stopped by to encourage you to keep falling forward. Am going to start including my TikTok, Instagram, and Lemon8 links for folk to be encouraged by.

Let’s keep throwing our why upside the wall, beloveds, to see what sticks!!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have really been enjoying getting my hands dirty. Each lousy πŸ“Ή video is teaching me how to make better ones.

I used to feel like a failure when I failed. I now know failing is crucial in achieving great things. I am going to see how many more times I can fail today. πŸ₯°

Be encouraged. Remember that you are NOT your failures or your mistakes. Have an amazing today.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

πŸ₯°πŸ˜

😁πŸ₯°

I love me some Him.

Just that.

caring about Him,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: There are just times where my heart is soooo full of love for God it spills everywhere. Pay me no mind. I don’t mind.

I’m praying for everyone today. Even the nonbelievers. Especially for them. I don’t blame them. Folk use the name of God for every purpose except for intended: Love. Simple as that.

Be encouraged this day. You are loved and not alone. Keep moving FORWARD. Keep looking UP.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Be gentle with yourself.

I’m trying to treat my heart with more care. I’m trying to be gentle with me. I’m trying to give myself the time that I need to grow. I’m trying to give myself the space that I need to learn.

I’m trying to be okay with the fact that I’m trying and….

Be gentle with yourself. You are doing the best you can. Let that be enough.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be good to you. You are doing your best  Let this be enough.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I am not strong πŸ’ͺ and that’s okay.

I am coming up on the one year anniversary of the tornado πŸŒͺ. I’m tired of thinking about it. Tired of dealing with the aftermath.

I’m tired, drat it all. I’m tired of blaming myself for not being stronger “sooner”. I’m tired if blaming God for not having acted “sooner”. I’m tired of blaming Life for lifing.

I am NOT strong. Thankfully, I don’t have to be. I just stopped by to encourage someone who is out there kicking themselves for not having done this that or the other.

I am here to encourage those who are kicking themselves for having done this, that or the other!

None of us knows how we will respond when life happens. We do what we can. We MUST, beloveds,Β  give ourselves permission and room to be:

Wrong.

Afraid.

Doubtful.

Then, we make the decision and be okay with not having been okay in THAT moment. The moment when everyone said you should be over THAT by now.

Things takes time. Healing takes time. Life takes time. In the meantime, it’s okay to not be πŸ’ͺ stronger quite yet.

I know I have posted a bit today. I have needed these words just to get through these storms today. I remind myself this storm is not last year’s storm. There is NOT a tornado in the yard.

As you go through your hard, remember you are NOT where you used to be! Be encouraged. 0

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I promised myself I would encourage someone when I was having a truly disheartening day. Be encouraged. This too shall pass. Geez, tho

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Life is not fair: Boo hoo and so what, Cassandra, Life said to me.

Me: Life is NOT fair.

Life: Boo hoo.

Me: That’s NOT very nice!

Life: So what? What are YOU going to do with ME?

I have been asking myself this question for the last little while.

Life is NOT fair. And? So? Now that we all know and understand this, beloveds, what are we going to do with this unfair life?

I plan on enjoying as many moments as I can. How about you?

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have to laugh. I was just in the middle of writing a rousing piece about making the best of things. Suddenly, the television went out leaving me in darkness. Startled, I slapped out and knocked over a perfectly delicious cup of coffee β˜•.

Of course, said coffee landed all over my phone and favorite pair of slippers COMPLETELY DRENCHING MY FAVE SOFT, BLACK AREA RUG THAT IS NO LONGER SOFT DUE TO SPILLING SOME OF EVERYTHING ON THE STUPID THING ALL THE….

I allowed myself to be mad 😑 for all of ten seconds. Then…….

Life is not fair. So what? What are you going to do with the life you have? Life is so worth living. Even in the hard parts. Be encouraged. Have an amazing week. Start over as many times as you need to.

I get to go scrub the carpet now. Life just ain’t fair, God. Smh πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ.



One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Keep πŸ‘£ making your mark.

I had a looooonnnng lecture with myself yesterday.

I was slightly disappointed and discouraged that my try isΒ  not currently moving the financial needle.

Next weekend will be the first anniversary of the tornado πŸŒͺ that visited last year. I told myself I am NOT going to start commemorating what happened.

Too often, beloveds, we set up a shrine over something that happened in the past. Things happen. Sometimes really, really, really hard things.

Through this terribly hard time, I have learned, in real time, that life happens. Period. It’s what we DO with our lives, AFTER the distraction/destruction/hard thing has happened.

God/Life/The Universe cares about what we DO with US after the AFTER.

Are we going to choose to be:

Bitter?

Angry?

Apathetic?

Apprehensive?

Motivated?

Determined?

Thankful?

Grateful?

What are we going to DO with our feelings?

Will we:

Give in to them?

Allow them to run the show and run our lives into the ground in order to “punish” whomever we are blaming for the happening?

Understand it’s okay to have feelings and give ourselves room to process, be angry, be sad, be mad, be frustrated, be afraid, by whatever we need to be for as long as we need to be it?

To this day, beloveds, I have to remind myself that it is perfectly okay that I needed all this time to heal. It’s okay that I was unable to start working when my former job advised I would have to. I wasn’t ready. I shouldn’t have been forced to choose between my job and my mental health.

I’m glad I chose my health. I’m glad I am giving myself time to chase πŸ‘£ my dreams even though my steps appear to be leading to another dead end.

I keep choosing me. I keep choosing my try. I keep  choosing faith.

As we speak, the television πŸ“Ί keeps going out. The power is flickering. The thunder is rumbling.

I don’t know if I will lose power. I DO know what I have control over: My perceptions and my choices. Simple as that. I am fully prepared  should the lights go out.

I trust that God will protect me during this latest storm. I trust.

Ah.

Aha!

Trust.

I am grateful, thankful for the tornado πŸŒͺ, because it forced me to look down and see that I had been standing on a bedrock of hidden fear for years.I had to do the hard work of dismantlingΒ  my foundation of fear, while rebuilding on FAITH, MY faith, my faith in HIM.

I am trying not to sound all preachy for all my nonbelievers peeps. Still, I just want to encourage folk to trust. Trust the process. Trust those you have built up as a source of support and hope.

Trust that you can and that you will.

Be willing to be led. Led by what/whom? Great questions! Keep asking!πŸ€—

You do NOT have to go through a catastrophe to make the needed changes in your life. Don’t wait until you find courage. You’ll never do it if that bd the case. Choose to do what you must. Choose to do what you can.

Keep on leaving your πŸ‘£ mark and let the outcome fall where it may!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Things will work out as they were meant to.  I will leave things here as the storm is being a storm. Cracker Jacks and orange slices!(This is me 🀬 without 🀬)…

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

What she said.

I could not have said this better myself!

Keep fighting, beloveds.

We got this.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep fighting.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Keep doing it!

I have spent a delicious few hours absolutely messing up EVERYTHING whilst trying to make new mini motivational videos.

What’s worse is I don’t know WHY!?? I’m doing the same things I was doing before. I think.😁πŸ₯°πŸ€£

I just stopped long enough to encourage you to keep on messing up. We are NOT our messes. We are just making a few extra messes to clean as we grow.

Keep going.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I keep messing up. I think I have used this saying before. I can’t remember….lol. A reminder to keep on keeping on no matter what. No matter how. No matter how long.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

God dares you.πŸ₯°

I love this!

God dares you.

I dare you.

Have a wonderful day.

I love you.

So does He.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I dare you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!