Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back

All of us struggle with fear and worry from time to time. In fact, in many cases, anxiety is a good and healthy thing. It causes us to wear seatbelts and try to eat healthily. It keeps us from doing something that will hurt us, like getting too close to a fire or jumping into a lion’s cage at the zoo.

It is also natural to be concerned about our health, bank account, job status, children, and more. When something threatens one of those things, we take notice. We work hard to protect ourselves and those we love.

In some ways, fear is both a natural and helpful part of what it means to be human.

But if fear gets out of control, it can take over and prevent us from enjoying life. When consumed by fear, we cannot be present for others or do the things we love. Overwhelming fear affects our health, saps our strength, makes it difficult to concentrate, and robs us of sleep.

It also keeps us from taking any risks. If we are afraid, we will not start new businesses, write books, or initiate relationships. We will continuously play it safe, always trying to insulate ourselves from any negative consequences. When we play it safe, we do not grow. We stagnate. We miss out on great opportunities.

We cannot run from fear or simply hope it goes away. There will always be something that worries us.

If we are going to navigate the often-difficult world in which we live successfully, we need effective strategies for coping with worry and fear. We must be able to deal with our anxieties in healthy and productive ways.

Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” And while this is not 100% true (there are real things to fear), his point is well made. Fear holds us back from living life to the fullest. We must learn how to overcome our fears, so we can move toward the things we desire.

Learn the proven strategies for facing and overcoming your fears. You will learn practical, healthy strategies for handling worry and anxiety. No, your worries will not suddenly vanish. But you will be equipped to face them and deal with them.

Ready? Let us dive in tomorrow with part two. La Wanna Parker

6 Questions to Develop Your Definition of Success

Do you have your definition of success? Most people are trying to live up to society’s definition of success without considering if this is the best option for them.

Ask others what success means, and you’re likely to hear a variation of these answers:

• Fancy car or two – Mercedes, BMW, Lexus
• Lovely house – Big, with a swimming pool, in a gated community
• Respectable corporate job – something worthy of bragging about
• Attractive spouse

Those things are acceptable if they’re of your choosing. But, if you take the time to think about it, your definition of success might be: Single, traveling the world, running my own business from a laptop, having adventures each day, and wearing flipflops at least eight hours each day. A person with this definition of success would be miserable in the first scenario.

You might find yourself accomplishing something that doesn’t appeal to you in the end.

Avoid disappointment by creating your definition of success!

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What legacy do I want to leave for my children and the world? At the end of your life, what do you want to reflect on how you lived your life? Is it wealth and a vast business empire? Do you want to leave a string of good works? Do you want to look back on a life full of adventures?

• How will you have wanted to spend your time?
• What financial resources do you want to leave behind?
• How do you want to be remembered?

• What are my values? A lifetime spent living your values will be fulfilling. Most people have a vague notion of what’s important to them, but few take the time to think about it carefully. Pull out a piece of paper and make a list of your values.
  
  
• What do I want to do? Make a list of all the things you want to see and do. Put everything from skydiving to walking on the Great Wall of China. Just write it down.
  
  
• What type of life do I want to experience? You might desire a conventional marriage and six children with a white picket fence in the suburbs. Or you might like to live in a Manhattan condo by yourself and take full advantage of the nightlife for the first 20 years of adulthood.
  
  
• What will it take for me to feel successful? Imagine various scenarios and determine what would make you feel successful. Is it living in a cabin in the woods with few responsibilities? Or maybe you would prefer to live in a 15,000 square-foot penthouse? Imagine various careers and lifestyles. Which one feels like success to you?
  
  
• What if no one else would ever know? The idea of owning a Ferrari might feel like a success, but what if no one else would ever know you owned it? Would you still feel successful? An ideal version of success wouldn’t involve the opinions of others.

• Search for a version of success that’s meaningful to you, even if others are unaware of your possessions and accomplishments.

There is no universal definition of success. It’s important not to fall into the trap of trying to impress your friends and family. Develop a version of success that is meaningful for you, regardless of society’s values. You might find that your version of success is much more enjoyable and more comfortable to attain.

How do you define success? Your definition will require you to like what you do and how you do it. Will you like the person you’ve become?

A Quick Read

Here is the link to a short story I wrote titled “The Box.”: https://shortfictionbreak.com/the-box/

Don’t forget to leave a comment.

Legendary Women of Influence Summit

Saturday, I attended the Legendary Women of Influence Virtual Summit. The speakers were from various parts of the country and all particularly good. The information shared was highly informative and the right message for today and the environment we are living for the foreseeable future.

The summit was educational, but the speakers presented great offers and opportunities for the attendees. Sherry Morton gave away some beautiful jewelry, and I won a beautiful piece of artwork from Marleece Pert.

Caterina Rando emceed the entire program and was also one of the speakers, and Tonya Tyus Parker started the event with her story. Tonya moved us with her story of how COVID19 affected her and why she felt compelled to do this event.

The speakers shared from their hearts, and somehow, each in his way helped to keep us entertained, excited, and eager to hear the next speaker.

The speakers were great, but the crowning glory to the whole day came after the keynote speaker, Sheya Chisenga, gave her speech and what a speech it was! It was informative, motivational, inspirational, and persuasive. She received a standing ovation virtually! Wow! It was truly moving1

Sheya shared the beginnings of her business. The struggles sometimes doubts, but through it all, she kept her faith and belief that she was doing what God had called her to do.

Tonya Tyus Parker and LaKisha Appleton presented Sheya with the 2020 Legendary Women of Influence Award and Certificate.

I have posted a picture of some of the speakers, the award, and the certificate Sheya received.

Congratulations, Sheya, for doing such an excellent job at helping to shape the lives of so many women!

My take away from this event is no matter the obstacles or circumstances, you look for what works for you, make a plan, focus on it, find a way to do it, and keep pushing forward with the support of like-minded women.

Until next time, stay safe and keep the faith. La Wanna Parker

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6 Awesome Self-Care Tips You Absolutely Need to Follow

When you’re practicing the art of self-care, you’re sure to hit a few obstacles along the way. Whether it’s you’re struggling to find the time to focus on self-care, or whether you struggle to maintain your self-care practice, there are lots of things that could be holding you back.

The good news is, whatever issue you come across in your journey to self-care, there are ways around it. Here, you’ll discover 6 awesome self-care tips you absolutely need to follow to make the practice easier.

1. Incorporate self-care into your morning routine

Once your day has gotten started, it’s a lot more difficult to focus on self-care. Trying to fit it into your daily activities isn’t always easy. For this reason, it’s best to incorporate self-care into your morning routine.

Getting up a little earlier if you need to, begin taking steps to look after you in the mornings. This could be taking the time to relax by reading a book or working out first thing in the morning. Whatever it is, doing it when you wake is one of the easiest ways to incorporate self-care into your daily life.

2. Learn when to say no

Did you know that a large part of self-care is knowing when to say no? Some people find it much easier than others to say no to things. Perhaps you’re being asked to help a friend a little more than you’re comfortable with? Learning to say no is difficult, but it is essential for your wellbeing.

You’ll soon discover that nothing bad comes from saying no from time to time. In fact, it helps to build up boundaries, showing people how they can treat you. By saying no to anything that you aren’t comfortable with, it establishes healthy boundaries and shows you care and respect yourself.

3. Don’t forget to reward yourself

We’ve already talked about the importance of not overindulging in self-care. However, it’s also important to make sure you’re rewarding yourself.

As you begin to keep up your self-care activities, reward yourself with something that’s going to make you feel good. It could be a new outfit, a day trip somewhere or something that contributes to your self-care routine such as a new book.

By rewarding yourself regularly, it’s going to help you maintain your motivation and keep you focused on maintaining your self-care routine.

4. Take advantage of automated technology

One thing that’s going to help make your self-care journey easier, is automated technology. For example, you can invest in automated vacuum cleaners which help to tidy the home for you. This frees up your time on chores, allowing you more time to relax.

Any type of automated technology that can make your life easier is worth investing in.

5. Make time to spend with family and friends

While you do want to spend a lot more time focusing on yourself, it’s important not to forget about your friends and family. Spending time with loved ones helps to make you happier, while also strengthening the bond between you.

So, ensure you maintain a good balance between looking after you and spending time with friends and family.

6. Ensure you set realistic goals

The final tip you’ll absolutely want to follow, is to ensure you’re setting realistic goals. When adding self-care activities into your daily routine, you need to do it gradually. This is what helps you to build up the habit.

So, work out whether the goals you have set are achievable. If not, break them down a little until you’re comfortable you’ll easily be able to follow them.

So, there you have it – 6 awesome self-care tips you absolutely need to follow. Practicing self-care is crucial for personal development and it really does deliver so many awesome benefits. It may take a while to get used to taking better care of yourself, but once it becomes a part of your daily routine you won’t look back. 

Join me at http://www.patreon.com/lawannaparker for more indept information on self-care and how you can better care of yourself.