It's Time to Tell a New Story!

We all have a story. Every woman has her own unique story of pain and of triumph. No matter what your story has been, if it’s not what you want, you have the power to change it at any time. You can tell a new story? My defining moment came when I was willing to release the past, the old story, and write a new story for my life.

For years, I longed for the day when my father would knock on my door and say, “I’ve come to see my little princess.” That day never came and that day will never come. So one day, I sat down and decided that it was time to tell a new story. I could no longer allow what others did or did not do, determine what my story would be. I discovered that I had the power to change it and write a story on my own terms. My story became one of forgiveness, renewal and hope. It was my story…my love story. Except this time, I was the star and God, my Heavenly Father, was the Director.

You have that same power within you to write your story. As we choose our stories, we are also choosing our destiny. We can create stories filled with hope, with promise and with love. This is your story…this is my story…and it is our story. It really is time to tell a new story!

Your New Year, Your New Life!

I love this time of the year. A new year represents a new beginning. Another opportunity to start over, to leave behind all the things that did not serve me in the previous year. Another chance to walk through new opportunities and new possibilities.

I can sense that you agree with me. However, one of the things that I see happening over and over again is that we repeat the same behaviors and expect to get different results. Now I know you have heard all of this before. But have you really taken the time to reflect upon what it really means?

Doing the same thing and expecting a different result has been said to be insane. And I agree. We will never move our lives forward in the new year or the next new year, if we don't change our beliefs...our mindsets. Your current beliefs have created the life you are now experiencing and if you plan on experiencing something different in 2011, you will need to change them.

One of the major beliefs that tend to follow Fatherless Daughters is how they view themselves. The way we see ourselves and love ourselves comes from the love we see reflected towards us in our father's eyes. And for most of us, that did not happen. Many of us didn't have our dads around as we were growing up and others whose dads were there, were still absent in our lives.

So what shall we do? We can begin to retrace our identity, our beliefs about ourselves, beyond our mother's womb. We can start by connecting with the most powerful, loving force in the universe and for me that force is "God." God is the very essence of true love. As we learn to identify our beliefs with a loving, forgiving, always present God and stop focusing on the love, protection or support we didn't receive from our fathers, then and only then can we move forward to a new year, a new life and and a new world.

So what steps will you take this year to retrace your life beyond your mother's womb in order to form a new set of beliefs? We want to hear from you. Write your comments below and let's share!!

Are You Really Happy?

Are you really happy with your life? Do you wake up each morning ready to live your life with joy, happiness and love? Are you days filled with laughter and pure bliss? Most people that I meet would answer “no” to these questions.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Life can be joyous and happy for us when we are able to answer three critical and important questions. These questions are: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I here to do?

When the answers to these questions become the most important and central reality of your life, every choice you make and everything you think and do will reflect that reality.

True satisfaction with life will only come when we discover the authentic core of who we really are and what we are placed on the planet to do. When we are aligned with the who, the what and the why God created us, our joy then becomes filled. When that happens, we will be able to say with a loud shout...I am really and truly happy today!!

What choice can you make today that would be truly consistent with who you are and make your life a joy to live?

How Much Love Are You Giving?

How much love are you giving? I work with people everyday who often feel that no one really loves them. Or they wonder if they will ever experience a real love relationship with another.

But the question we all should be asking is...”how much love am I giving?” Because only what we are not giving can be lacking in any situation. The purpose of relationships is to expand us and where our love is conditional, we need expansion. Wanting to be loved when you are not ready or willing to give love is really a very selfish and self serving desire.

Can you love even in the absence of love? Can you love even when it seems that no one is reciprocating?

True love has no expectations...all true love wants to do is love...to give it. So I ask you once again...how much love are you giving? Take a look around you...if your life is not overflowing with love...maybe you are the missing link.

When We Don't Have All The Answers

Life has a way of bringing to us the unexpected. But what happens when the unexpected comes wrapped in disappointment? Do we forget about the very foundation of what we believe and stay true to it or do we fold under the pressure?

Yesterday started out to be a great day. My husband and I went for our morning walk; I spent my power hour in mediation/prayer and listened to some personal/spiritual growth information on my IPod.

Then the phone rang and it was my son telling me that they had lost the baby. She was still born. My heart stopped for a moment because we had just experienced this last year, when little Maya was still born. I just didn’t want to do this again.

And the worst was to hear my son’s voice as he shared the information. He said mom, “I wanted this baby so badly.” As I put the phone down, I began to remember who God is and how His Love will comfort and protect us. That is my foundational truth and at this moment I needed to remember it.

When the unexpected comes our way, and there is no explanation for the pain, we must shift our hearts and our minds towards love. Please know that my family and I did experience pain and we couldn’t keep it from coming our way. But we do have a choice...not to suffer.

While this is painful to experience, we will not allow it to make us suffer. As we remain in love’s space and as we continue to love each other and thank God for what we will never understand, we can and will heal.

Loves heals, renews, make us safe, inspires us with its power and brings us closer to God. This is what I know for sure. In times when you don’t have answers, remember that love is the answer to every question.

The ultimate lesson here is that we walk in the light of love and the truth that extends beyond any truth that our human mind presently knows. Because the spiritual mind knows far more than we could ever comprehend. So it’s really okay to not have all the answers, as long as we have love and peace. This is what I know for sure.

What's Love Got to Do with It?

The internet is inundated with lots of information, such as how to create wealth, the newest health craze, the latest fashion trend, relationship issues and even religious stuff.

But one subject that seems to fly under the radar is “Love”, yet this is the message of my soul. In a world where folks are losing their jobs, their homes, struggling to pay bills, get health care, or battling a bad relationship, the last thing they want to hear or talk about is love. While this is not a popular topic, it is the answer to every problem you have in your life. Love is the greatest answer to the world’s problems.

Perhaps that is why it gets so little attention. Really, how could love be the answer to your problems? As Tina Turner said, “what’s love got to do with it?” Love has everything to do with it.

The real reason we don’t embrace love as the solution to our problems is that it will force us to begin to take 100% responsibility for our own lives. It won’t allow us to play the victim any longer. But more importantly it will make us look within ourselves for answers instead of externally.

How can love pay my bills, find a job, or make my husband treat me better?” you may ask. We all live by two different driving forces, love or fear. Whatever force we allow to govern our lives, produces the results that we are currently experiencing.

Fear produces lack, scarcity, chaos, want, confusion, sickness, depression, fatigue, violence and etc.

Love produces abundance, increase, joy, health, energy, ease, harmony, peace, happiness, fulfillment and etc. It's not the devil that is playing havoc in your life. It is where you have chosen not to love. Fear produces a vibration in our being that summons or attracts all that fear represents to us.

But when we choose to love, embody love, become love, then it will begin to call forth or attract all the things that love produces. Learn to love at that level now! Email me angela@thelovelifestyle.com

I See You!

There comes a time in our lives when we must face the truth. The truth of who we are and the truth of who we are becoming.

Our dance begins each morning when we awaken unto our day. We do this dance very well. We dance for our kids, we dance for our spouses, we dance for our bosses, and we dance for our parents and even the church. But when do we dance for ourselves?
We dance to entertain and please everyone around us only to become invisible to ourselves.

But I see you. I see you when you look into the mirror each morning to do your hair and face while fighting the urge to break down and cry. I see you when you put that lipstick on the same lips that so desperately wants to shout to the world "I am so tired...I'm just so tired!" Not in the physical sense, but you are tired and weary from the inside...from your deeper parts.

I see you when you realize what is happening and you regroup, square your shoulders, take a deep breath and grab your purse to walk out the door. You are on your way into the world to dance all over again. Oh, did I mention that before you left home you had gotten the kids ready, fixed breakfast, made some beds, loaded the dish washer and folded that basket of laundry? You did that dance before anyone in your house woke up this morning.

Now it's time to dance for your micro-managing, never can please boss and that noisy, jealous, aggravating co-worker who just won't shut up.

I see you when you smile while wanting to break down and cry. I see you when you work all day on a job that brings you no joy or gratification. I see you when your mouth curves out a slight grin as you imagine what it would be to own that business you've wanted to start. But I also see you when you rationalize that thought away because you believe it is only wishful thinking. I see your grin disappear along with your hope.

As you drive home, I see you plan your next dance of what to cook for dinner, how much homework you have to assist with and what time you got to go to bible study. I see you when you grab your bible for church and adjust your dance just a little because your swagger may be too much for the sisters. Because you don't want them to know that you have not had time to pray or read your bible for 5 days. And you dare not act like you have any un-answered prayers. No, this dance....the one you've learned to do so well says to everyone, including the preacher,that all is well and everything is perfect because you love God!! Right?

But I see your pain, your hurt, your disappointments, your regrets and your unhappiness with your life. I see your desire for life to be more and I see your need for more. I see that you're stuck because you've brought into the false illusion that your life has to be this way.

You've learned to dance the dance of making everyone a priority above yourself. Your illusion gives you permission to believe this is okay.

Yet, I see your dance is getting weaker, I see you miss a few steps and turns only because you are getting older and think it's too late to change the music or your dance.

I cry for you, my sister and I pray for you. Why? Because I know this dance all too well, I've dance it for years. But I also know it can be different. Life can be different and it can be for you. I am now dancing a new dance with new music and it is wonderful!! I long to have all my sisters dance with me.

I invite you to join me in this dance, but until then I will dance for you... because you have forgotten to dance for yourself.