After the July 4th holiday, my family dealt with the passing of my mother in law, Gloria.
In our Black Women Rise community, I share stories of Sistas who have taken charge of their lives and careers. Gloria is a great example of a Sista in Success.
Gloria raised two boys and when they were still in grade school, she decided to pursue for her bachelor’s degree. As a single mom, she worked full-time to pay the mortgage and attended school in the evenings. After graduating with her bachelors at 42 years old, she enrolled in a Master’s degree program for School counseling. Ultimately, she became a college academic advisor at 46 years old.
When Gloria talked about her career touching students and helping them to plan out their future, you could see this was her divine assignment as her face would glow with pride and excitement.
Actually, it was a gift she shared before she received her credentials as everyone who speaks of Gloria’s legacy, even before her death, shares how she influenced them to fulfill their potential and pursue their dreams.
During her 10-year tenure in her second career, she battled and survived myeloma (blood cancer). In the past 4 years, her cancer returned and regressed. Unfortunately, the ravages of the illness on her vascular system led to terminal complications a few weeks ago. She transitioned home at 64 years old.
Despite hardships and challenges, Gloria was a Black woman who took charge of her life. A Black woman more committed to fulfilling her purpose than basking in her “I can’ts”
One aspect of death is that it makes us reflect on our own lives and the legacy we want to leave. Unfortunately, many of us transition never living the life we desired. Why?
Fear, self-doubt, uncertainty, a lack of self-worth, pride, and independence- all of these can keep us stuck & prevent us from fulfilling our potential.
Do you ever find yourself saying…
“I’ll wait until the kids are older.”
“I don’t have the time right now.”
“I don’t have the money to pursue my dream.”
“I don’t know how to scale this business yet.”
“I can do this on my own. I just need to work harder.”
I’m sure Gloria contended with these same concerns, but she was more committed to her destiny than her limiting beliefs and excuses.
What is the cost of you not taking 100% responsibility for your life?
Is the daily existence of feeling unfulfilled and knowing you are meant for so much more worth today’s dissatisfaction & unhappiness? How about tomorrow….1 year from now….5 years from now?
Here’s the truth: Time is going to pass. So, the question becomes: Do you want to stay in the same circumstances or be in a more empowered position?
Also consider the true price of inaction is a lost of confidence in your ability to have control over your life.
A lack of confidence will prevent you from starting or growing your business, asking for the raise, and standing up for your full worth (monetarily and socially). Over your adulthood, this could be 100,000s of dollars, even millions, lost.
If you died tomorrow, could you say, I ran my race & I ran it well?
Would you be able to reflect on life and say, I completed my divine assignment?
If you can’t or can’t imagine saying “Yes” to those questions, will you make the commitment today to stand in your power by clarifying your purpose and beginning to walk on your true path?
It’s never too late to take on this work. Over the past two years, I’ve worked with Black women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s to articulate and pursue their unique purpose.
The first step to taking charge of one’s life is to know what you what. We need a clear vision for the life we desire. Once we have this clarity, we can begin to take the necessary actions to manifesting our dreams.
One activity I suggest to my clients to get their creativity flowing is to write their eulogy. It sounds morbid, but ask yourself, “What do I want as my legacy?” ***Leave a comment below to share your answer.*** (I read every post)
If you’re ready to delve deeper and have today be the last time you live an existence more committed to your excuses than your desires, let’s talk.
I offer several levels of support and mentorship for Black Women entrepreneurs. The programs are designed to help you:
• Achieve new levels of clarity about yourself and what you desire from life
• Understand what’s truly holding you back and how to conquer it.
• Teach you how societal and cultural influences shape you and impact your success
• Provide new ways to operate that are better suited to your desired life.
• Master a clear step by step strategy to build an effective “work from anywhere” business in just a few short weeks.
Apply here for a complimentary 30-minute Confident CEO Strategy Session to explore if and how our programs may work for you. Either way, you leave the session with clarity regarding your current challenges & your best next step >>> Click here to apply http://bit.ly/
Live Fiercely!
