The Dreamers Corner

by Scheneeka

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On July 21, 2018

In My Mary Kay Life

Mary Kay Career Conference 2018

 

I am taking steps to invest in myself and in my Mary Kay business.  Part of my investment was attending Career Conference this year in Duluth, GA!  When I say I gleaned so much and how thankful and blessed I felt to be among such great and strong women!  This conference left me speechless…it left me encouraged….and it left me with plenty of nuggets of knowledge.  Career Conference allowed me to hear from powerful and inspirational women from Sales Directors to National Sales Directors (or NSDs).  All with personal and real stories that left me thinking…”If they could reach that level of success…what is stopping me from reaching mine?”

Here are some top take-aways with the name of the speaker that I received the knowledge from!:

  • Let people fascinate but not frustrate you; fight for what you want – Cecilia James; NSD
  • If its important, then you will make the time; don’t whine, just get to work – Tina Dees; Senior Sales Director
  • Don’t oversell, just ask; Its not up to me to have it all together, just to be ALL IN!; Life doesn’t get any easier – Jill Davis (NSD)
  • Let me bless them, and they will bless me; have non-negotiables…stop talking and start doing!; want the support? à Then show them why they need to support you; if you are not failing, it means I’m not trying– Brittany Kaps; NSD
  • You don’t get what you want, you get who you are; pray before every appointment; focus on edifying and lifting others up – Nikki Edgemon; Senior Sales Director
  • Stop judging; if stinkin thinking enters, check it with the word of God—Kimbi Bartik
  • Cant win if you quit…So don’t quit; healthy things grow from the inside out – Richelle Barnes
  • Enjoy it all! Turn fear into excitement; how am I managing my emotions and my time – Alia Head; NSD
  • Get M.A.D. – Motivated And Determined; never use your kids as an excuse, but as your “WHY’—Jeanette Thompson; Future Executive Senior Sales Director

I had such a great time learning and having fellowship with like minded individuals who are all on a journey to pursue their dreams!  If you are in Mary Kay, I encourage you to attend a conference or a seminar or even better…both!  If you are not in Mary Kay, I encourage you to find some women’s conferences or join a group that is focused on empowering women and giving women tools to succeed in all areas of your life!  I promise that the time and money you spend will not be a waste and will only propel you forward on your personal journey!

Go and be great!

 

What seminars or conferences have you attended in the past that have uplifted you?  I would love to hear about them in the comments below!

Moments With Karson…June 2018

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On July 4, 2018

In Uncategorized

I am in so much trouble when Karson grows up!  Heck, I’m already in trouble with this little boy’s cute face and big personality.  Such a great boy, full of life and happiness!

I had my first touch of my son’s protectiveness just the other day.  It was the most hilarious, cute, and scary projection of what is to come in my life with Karson.  I was getting ready to go see my girl friend in Augusta and this trip, Karson was staying home with his dad.  We are up in the morning going through our normal routine and I was getting dressed as I had already dressed Karson for his day.  Well, on this particular day, I decided to wear a crop top (and when I say crop, not above my belly button but definitely showing a sliver of skin).

Karson is sitting on my bed and says “Mommy what is that?”…pointing at my shirt.  I proceed to tell him it is my shirt with Jimmy Hendrix.  He looks at me and then looks back at my shirt inquisitively and sits up on the bed.  He looks at me again and says “Mommy, shirt to0 short?” and then after that grabs a part of my shirt and begins to tug it down to my pant line as he grunts.  The shirt of course budges a bit and then comes back up.  He then takes a part of the shirt towards the middle (as he had just tried to pull the side) and pulls down again.

Of course by this time, I am giggling at his attempts to pull down my crop top shirt.  He looks at me again and says ” Mommy, shirt to0 short.”  I tell him “No Karson, its called a crop top and it is supposed to be a bit short.”  He just looks at me and asks “Crop top?”.  We proceed with our conversation as we move towards the door and to the car.

After I drop him off at his school, I cannot help but think, Lord help me when I go out on dates once again….smh…my son is already policing my outfits at the age of 2…..I cannot imagine what will come out of his mouth at 5, 8, and even 15!  But deep down, it warmed my heart that my son even now has this protection streak.  At least I know he will tell me the truth no matter what! LOL

Mothers, what stories do you have of you little ones?  When did they become protective of you?  Or try and correct you at the “old” age of 2 and 3?  I cant wait to hear about you and your little one’s shared moments!

 

Are You Hungry?

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On June 28, 2018

In My Mary Kay Life

 

I pose this question to you now….are you hungry?  And no, I don’t mean are you hungry to eat…but are you hungry for your dreams?  Are you hungry enough to sacrifice for that investment?  Are you hungry to create your own business and push until it thrives?  Are you hungry for that promotion or job?  How hungry are you?

Based on your response, I can tell you how hungry you are…or even how hungry you are not.  Why?  Because I personally have gone through my seasons where I am so hungry where it hurts, and where I say I am hungry, but go watch a tv show rather than work on my business.  I’ll go out with friends before I do homework.  I’ll eat some more ice cream instead of going on that run.  Or my biggest one…hitting that snooze button 15,000 times and turning over rather than getting up and getting a start on my day.

If you want to reach any goal, small or big, there has to be some kind of hunger or serious decision or commitment to the end goal that you will do anything to get there.  You will talk to any stranger, lose sleep, sacrifice time watching tv…you fill in the blank…to accomplish the goal or get to that next level.

I wish I could tell you that I have conquered this, but this is still a journey for me.  I get frustrated with myself…fall down, and then get back up again to try again to find that hunger.  Many times, I have found myself so upset or so tired of being tired where that is when I have my breakthrough.  With each breakthrough, there is a new level that you reach and need to push through to get to the next level.

I am personally learning to appreciate the journey and to keep pushing forward and learning that finding this hunger is a process and have committed to myself that no matter what, I will not give up on myself.  I am worth it to keep trying even when I fall down…I am worth it.

You are worth it!  What wins have you seen in your life that you may have not seen if you gave up on yourself?  I would love to hear about them and encourage you in your journey!

It Takes A Village – Part 1 : Why You Need a Support System of Like Minded Individuals

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On April 4, 2018

In Lifestyle, Uncategorized

 

I have a friend who recently packed up her belongings and moved to a new city, started a new job, met the love of her life, and got accepted into law school!!!!  By the way, I am super duper proud of her for taking all of these steps to the greater life that she knew she deserved!  However, this is the same friend who looked at me crazy when I told her she needed to move 2 years prior to this and had every excuse about why she couldn’t and what she needed to do to even consider moving.  All her friends lived where she used to live, her family lived close by, she had never done that (besides living in Spain for 6 months….side eye) and she had this great government job that gave her security.  Matter of fact, her whole life gave her security….because it was safe.  Now let me add a quick caveat…there is nothing wrong with safe…but when you begin to complain about the “safeness” of your life, then its time to tap into the greatness that is bestowed upon each of us.

Currently, my friend has taken major steps towards a dream that she has….and that has scared her.  I am all about this move.  I am all about these steps.  And anytime she has a doubting thought or begins to freak out about what she has done, I get excited to remind her of HER dream and how well she is handling all the changes!  I mean she is going to be a freaking LAWYER for goodness sake!  I see the greatness….but I’m reminded by her stories of some of her friends from her safe life that not everyone can appreciate the greatness that is happening to her.  Her friends mean well, just like most people who warn you and I of the risks and security that we are leaving mean well.  However, this can be dangerous to the dream that she is beginning to water and nurture and, by the way, these same people in your life can be just as dangerous to the dream that you have inside you!

I have learned through personal experience and through the experiences of others that the people you surround yourself with can make or break your personal dreams.  When everyone is telling you that you can do it, there is power in those words and creates powerful self-talk which leads to courage and thus courageous decisions.  However, when the opposite is in effect….well you guessed it…it can be devastating to any individual.

Moral of the story – Surround yourself with those who are pushing you into your greatness and who are just as excited about your dream as you are about it yourself!  Those people will be the ones who will remind you of your WHY when you have that day where you just want to quit.  Those people will listen and cry with you but who will then pick you up, dust you off, and send you back into the fight.  Those people are the ones who believe in you so much that most times they believe in you when you might not even believe in yourself.  And those are the people who earn the title Friend!

 

Who is in your corner?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

When Disappointment Strikes

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On March 22, 2018

In Motherhood

What do you do? What do you find yourself doing when something you expected to happen, doesn’t happen? How do you deal with the reality that what you had hoped and wished for doesn’t go your way? Do you cry? Do you scream? Do you get angry? Do you get depressed? Do you brush it off saying it doesn’t matter (when you know it does actually matter…. A LOT).

I have learned from my own experiences and from the experiences of my closest loved ones that disappointment is a b*** to deal with. Heck, take my personal experience as an example…I got married, moved to a city that I really didn’t want to be in, had my wonderful son in the middle of a relationship I wasn’t 100% sure was going to make it even before I got pregnant, got divorced and am the first person in my immediate family to have done so, and now I’m a single parent trying to figure out how to live the life that I imagined in a reality that looks totally different. When I made the decision to separate from my then husband, I was devastated. I cried days before driving to and from work with the weight of my decision. I cried months later over the relationship and the promise lost. I cried for my son who although would be loved to the moon and back would have to live in two different homes for the rest of his life. I was shaken by disappointment and I grieved, and I was angry…I was depressed, and I was angry all over again.

Take another example of disappointment from another close friend. Applying to law schools, she gets the devastating letter back that she does not get into the school of her dreams. As soon as she told me, I knew that she was upset….really upset. She put herself through undergrad, moved to a major city, overcame major adversity from her family growing up and she was stepping out and going for it. Even I thought to myself, what school would not take my friend?!?! I’m sure that is what she was thinking. She was sad…..she was disappointed.

And I’m here to tell you….It is OKAY to be disappointed! It is okay to be sad. It is okay to grieve. It is okay to be angry. These are called feelings…learn to understand them, because we as people (not just as women) go through these emotions every day. Every single last one of us listening to someone else’s story of disappointment would give each other permission to be upset and to feel that. So today, I give you permission to feel those feelings. To really feel them. Not just to glaze over them with a “I’m being a baby, I need to toughen up” kind of attitude. But to have that ugly cry, laid out on the floor, disheveled, covering ourselves with ash kind of moment.

Why are we so hard on ourselves when we feel ourselves facing setbacks? Why do we cut our moment short? I personally think it’s because we care so much about what the next person thinks that we don’t allow ourselves the chance to heal and in doing so, we forget to love ourselves when we need the most self-love. These are your feelings…this is your moment…Feel the moment and allow the feelings to happen. Go through your grieving process. (it is part of the process). And when you finish going through this process, get up out your bed, get up off your floor, get out of your car, take a shower, wipe the tears, and carry on.

I have carried on….I have increased my salary every year since my divorce, I am about to finish my Master’s program, I am starting my own business through Mary Kay, I am blogging, and I am enjoying my growing little man! My friend is continuing on…She received 2 other letters of acceptance, she is going to law school, she is at her new job looking at multi-million dollar contracts, and is with the love of her life (and we are talking about someone who thought she would be a spinster for the rest of her life….hmph!). And you too are continuing on! You are not defeated, you are not out of the race, and your journey is not over. There is more to your story….and I personally cannot wait to hear and see it!

I hope this post was an inspiration to you and you find healing and self-growth! I would love to hear some of your stories in the comments below! How are you overcoming your disappointments?

New Year, BETTER Me

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On February 27, 2018

In Lifestyle

 

“New Year, New Me….New Year, New Me….New Year, New Me!  The mantra of those bringing in another new year.  It is blasted over Social Media, it is blasted throughout the nation, and it is the uniting event that happens every new year when everyone claims to do reflection and gets motivated to create themselves into a better version than the one they left behind at midnight.  I think that the idea makes sense, and there are some great points to this “revolution of self” as we all look at the 1stday of the New Year as the starting point of a new journey.  But what about the people who feel they accomplished much in the past year?  What about those individuals who looked at their year in retrospect and saw each day as an opportunity to be new and improved? What about those who are already in their process in evolution, not at the starting point?

2017 was a great year for me!  I am one of those people who took inventory of 2017 and saw significant growth and movement towards my dreams!  I grew as a business woman, as a leader, as a mother, and as a friend.  I made some decisions about my priorities and my core beliefs and took steps in protecting them unapologetically.  I began to choose myself first over other people…especially men (who have always been my weakness lol..more to come on that, that’s a whole post by itself!).  I truly believe that these choices led me to my greatest accomplishments this past year!  I started a business with Mary Kay and I attended Seminar with Mary Kay which still motivates me to this day.  I received a promotion which of course opened doors for other opportunities!  I moved into my own place with no roommates.  I decided to dedicate some of my time to my passion of travelling. And above all, I chose to love myself first and offer myself grace in both my messiest and greatest moments.

Now, by no means have I reached my full potential nor am I saying that I just have it all together, because for the many things I accomplished, I had some hiccups along the way.  That being said, this year, 2018, is a year to continue to improve myself and build upon the wins and opportunities of last year.  I encourage you to take an inventory of your previous year.  Identify the wins, identify where you slipped up, and then outline a plan for 2018 where you can be better and more improved in all areas!  Set up an action plan, make small goals that reach to your big goals, and get excited that each day is a new day, full of opportunity!

My friend always makes a joke with me about how I try and fit so much into one day.  She says “Scheneeka, you only have 24 hours in a day”…my response to that is “Exactly!  I have the same amount of time that everyone else has!”  Each day and each hour is another chance for me to live in purposeful intent.  I hope, pray, and know that 2018 will be your best year yet!  Go out and be the beautiful, fabulous DIVA that I know (and you know) that you can be!

 

Start Now!  Get Excited!  How are you planning your 2018?  What goals are you striving and pushing towards? Leave your thoughts and goals in the comments below!

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