4 Ways to Free Your Mind From Fear

by desing | Faith & Purpose

On your journey of success, there’s nothing more important than your thought life. Every good and bad thing begins in thought form which is why you have to be viciously aware of the thoughts you allow yourself to mediate on.

The other day, I was having such a dark, gloomy day. The negative emotions of darkness overwhelmed my body and I was experiencing something that I had not felt in over 14 years. In the moment, I made a decision to stop everything I was doing and change my environment for the rest of the afternoon. My pride didn’t want to admit that I was struggling but something more powerful forced me to get up and get out.

I admit that I struggle with asking for help, because I don’t like rejection. Like most of us are taught, I’d rather struggle in private than reach out to someone. As I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon around women who I’m convinced God has put in my life for this season, I realized that what I was feeling earlier was a direct result of what I was allowing myself to think about.

That night, I thanked God for showing me what needed to change in my life. I could no longer serve my fears, failures, pain, hurt, anger with my thoughts. I had to make a decision to wholeheartedly serve my faith, future, purpose, legacy, goals and true desires with my thoughts.

You have total control over your thoughts and you will become what you think about – which is a scary reality that I had to accept. Honestly, everything negative in my life that I’m dealing with, I must admit that I thought about it and even worried about it. I know that my negative thinking has in some way opened the doors for certain things to manifest in my life.

Your emotions are the most unreasonable part of your soul and your soul is your mind, will and emotions. Your emotions are like a child that always wants to get his or her way. Your will is the most powerful part of your soul but it will follow your emotions and your mind will reason it out. Most of us don’t even know this is happening but I’m here to help you free your mind from all thoughts that are opposing your success in your goals, career, relationships, family, marriage, finances and all areas of your life.

It’s time to put your emotions in check.

It’s up to you to make a decision to change your mind and destroy every thought that is holding you back. Your thoughts can produce stress, anxiety, worry or they can produce opportunity, life, and goodness. You were not created to be a servant to your thoughts. Your thoughts are supposed to serve you and not destroy you.

I’m going to share with you 4 ways to begin free your mind from whatever is holding your breakthrough back.

1. Acknowledge the thoughts: You can only change what you’re willing to confess. You’ve got first acknowledge and admit that you have those negative emotions. Acting like it’s not there is not the move. Admit to yourself that something has to change
2. Know that fear is a liar: Fear is one the greatest bondages of the mind. It leads to worry, which leads to anxiety and all sort of other negative emotions. When you meditate on fear, you are giving your fears power. Fear loves to throw false threats of your future, especially if you keep focusing on previous failures and hurts. Those thoughts tell you that it’s going happen again or just like something bad happen to her, it’s going to happen to you. That’s fear working at its best and it’s a liar.
3. Get a filter: No, I don’t mean the filters you’re using on Snapchat but it’s interesting how a filter can enhance a photo, just like a filter can enhance your thoughts. Filter your thoughts and determine if that thought you’re having in the moment is worth something that you should keep on thinking about. Ask yourself, is this thought what I want to come to reality? Is this a thought of fear or worry? Is this a thought that’s threatening my future? Is this thought helping me attract where I want to be in 5 years or is it destroying it? Once you ask these questions, you’ll fling those thoughts away like little annoying flies. But just like flies, they like to pester so keep on flinging until it flies away permanently.
4. Get help where you need it: Some of us have gone thru some catastrophic circumstances and because of that trauma the filter of how you think is distorted. If you need a support team, a counselor, or therapist then do what you have to do. You don’t need to tell the world your business but try to find at least one person that you can confide in and who can help you.

This isn’t going to be easy, this is a day by day and moment by moment effort but your future is worth it! I refuse to allow opposition and negative emotions to destroy and steal what’s been set before me and neither should you. You are going to get through this! Are you going to continue to allow your thoughts to attract negative circumstances in your life or will you free your mind? Remember that you become what you think about.
XOXO,

Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy

Set Yourself Free From Your Past

by desing | Faith & Purpose

Today in the US, we’re celebrating being a free nation. I know 4^th of July for most of us means bathing suits, backyard barbeques, a red cup, and fireworks (that still scare me to this day…don’t judge me LOL!)

But as you have fun in the sun, is there anything that you need to be set free from?

Is there something in your past that you need to move on from in order to receive the new things that have been placed before you? Do you keep looking behind you instead of looking ahead towards what’s in front of you?

Maybe you keep focusing on a mistake you made in your business, career, relationship, finances or family. Or you keep holding unto a grudge over an offense that someone has done to you. We all have things we regret in our past, so you’re not alone.

It’s time to let it go and set yourself free from past disappointments, failures, mistakes, pain and regret. It’s time to let go of those former things that are behind you and press on to what’s in front of you.

How do you do that?

I’m so glad you asked!

Take the time right now to think about your “five year fantasy” life. Think about what life would look like if every aspect were perfect in your life in five years. Focus on all areas of your life, not just your career goals either. Think about what your family life would look like, what relationships would you have or would no longer have, what would your income and net worth would be, how much money would you have saved, where would you be living, how would your health be, what are you accomplishing in your community?

Once you figure that out, your next step is to figure out what you have to start doing now to get there. Do you need forgive someone? Pick up the phone and mend a relationship? Change your thinking habits? Change your eating habits? Start that business? Start a savings plan? Get on a payment plan with creditors? Register for that Master’s program? Finally order the materials to start your t-shirt line?

I learned this from success-expert, Brian Tracy, and one thing he pointed out was that successful people are always thinking ahead and past their present circumstances while average people maximize their problems instead of finding the solution.

“We can overestimate what can happen in a year but underestimate what can happen in five years.” Five years seems so far away but it was just July 4^th, 2011 and soon it will be July 4^th, 2021.

Your future can no longer we held captive by your past. It’s time to let it all go and move forward. You will never be free if you don’t release yourself from the past.

Another point I want to stress is to not limit your thinking when you’re doing this exercise. Successful people have a positive outlook on life; believing that all the resources, relationships, provision is available and on the way. Remove that scarcity mindset from your thinking and remove the limits from your mind so that you can achieve your destiny.

Repeat this to yourself, out loud if you have to: No limits, no boundaries, I will see increase all around me!

Set yourself free from all the burdens of your past because the only person that it’s holding back is you. If you want to work together on this, let me know here!

I’m excited to see what your five-year fantasy will look like on July 4^th, 2021 – get ‘em girl! You haven’t lived your happiest moments yet!
XOXO,

Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy

Live Expecting Things to Change In Your Favor

by desing | Faith & Purpose

So last week’s post and Periscope message of motivation on overcoming failure, really hit home and inspired many of you. It takes vulnerability and authenticity in order to truly inspire others, and although I’ve struggled with doing so in the past, I’m blessed to know that you can find encouragement from my own journey of navigating through failures.

In last week’s message, I shared a point that I feel led to expand upon this week and that’s to change your mindset and expectations. When you’ve dealt with failure, especially when it’s a repeated failure in the same area, trying to believe that anything good can happen is ridiculously difficult! Your mind begins to feed you those lies to not expect anything at all. Your heart doesn’t even want to expect a positive outcome because you’ve failed and been rejected the last 5 times.

If this is your current situation, then this is your wake up call to change your expectation.

I realized that I was allowing the failures, rejections and disappointments of my past to steal my hope and expectations for my future. I expected the worse or things to go the same way they’ve always been until I had an “a ha” moment and realized that I had the power living on the inside of me to change my situation.

I’d pray but in my heart, I really didn’t expect any change. I’d declare positive expectations but I didn’t believe what I was saying. I’d “believe” that the meeting would go well, but in my subconscious mind I was waiting for the rejection.

I don’t care if you’re currently looking for a new job and you’ve been rejected at your last 6 interviews, or if you’ve been trying to get your manuscript published and you’ve heard “no” from 15 publishers, or  if you’ve gone to 10 banks to get a loan for your business and you’ve been declined every time, or if you’re praying for emotional healing in a relationship and you’re still struggling with those feelings of despair, I want you change your mind and wholeheartedly expect things to turn around in your favor!

Did you know that Daymond John (branding expert, founder of FUBU and the “people’s shark” on Shark Tank) was declined by 27 banks before starting FUBU! AND get this, he never got the loan. His mother took out an additional mortgage on her home to finance his dreams while he lived in her basement! Howard Schultz, who is the CEO of Starbucks, was turned down by banks 242 times!

Yes, 242 times!

Your “failures” may not be in career or business, maybe it’s in your family, health, relationships or marriage. You must know that God (yes, God) is able to turn your situation around but you must believe that. Your relationship with your father may be strained but things can change if you believe it can. The doctor may be telling you that you’re likely to have breast cancer because your mother and grandmother had it. You have to believe that just because it happened to them does not mean it’s a death sentence for you. Your younger sister may have ran away from home and is out on the streets, you have to believe that those prayers of yours are working and soon she’ll come back home. Why pray if you’re not going to believe that things will change?

The key to living with expectancy of good things happening is hidden inside of your heart. If your heart is filled with resentment, guilt, shame, regret, unforgiveness, anger, fear, or worry then living with expectancy is going to be almost impossible for you. You have to strip yourself of those negative emotions because they are holding you back.

Things can change in your favor. Today is your day to start that shift but it begins within your mind and heart. Will you make the commitment to change your mind and start living with expectation?

Destroy those negative thoughts and replace them with positive expectations – today!

XOXO,

Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy