by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
When you hear the word “capacity” what is it that comes to your mind? For the New Year, my pastor preached a message in regards to our capacity and it has been on my mind ever since. Every year we have a different theme of growth at my church and needless to say that this year, it’s “capacity.”
Capacity is all about the potential inside of you which essentially boils down to the existing possibility within you. What I have learned over the years is that we do not know exactly what our capacity is until it is tested, stretched and strengthened.
Crisis will reveal the cracks in your character but it can also reveal what you are capable of and move you from one place to another. In these circumstances, we are almost forced to increase our capacity in order to grow or become who we have been called to be. But besides crisis or uncontrollable circumstances, how else does one increase their capacity?
The key word in defining capacity is potential. So many of us are filled with so much potential but for some reason, it remains just that – potential. Your potential is the existing possibility within you, meaning that something special exists but it will essentially be your conscious decision to take that existing possibility inside of you to its greatest potential. Once again, life is about the choices we make. If we want a better life then we have to make better decisions. You can choose to be one of those people who are filled with potential but never really did anything with it or you can choose to become someone who exhausts their potential to its utmost capacity.
Therefore, in order to increase your potential to in turn increase your capacity, then you are going to have to be willing to change. I want you to really go to the next level this year and I want you to be deliberate about it, instead of hoping that some sort of magic is going to fall out the sky and give you your perfect life or better yet hoping that you’ll win the lottery, I want you to be intentional in assuring the plan that you have for your life.
This is the key for increasing your potential – increase your value. We can make the mistake into thinking that we get paid for our time but we get paid for our value. I’ve noted before that two people can work for the same company while one makes a $30,000 annual salary while the other makes a $3.5 million annual salary. It’s the same amount of time but the difference is the value to the company. When you focus on increasing your value, then you will not have to go running after opportunities, the opportunities will start knocking at your door. Too many of us want an above average salary with an average work ethic.
So what do you need to do to increase your value? Perhaps it’s furthering your education, enrolling in a certification program, garnering a new level of clientele, reading a few books, volunteering, signing up for new training classes or hiring a coach.
There are some people who walk into a room, speak for an hour and walk out with a $20,000 check. I know it can be farfetched to even think that it’s possible for someone to make $20,000 in an hour, when it takes most people months to make that same amount of money. I don’t want you to mistake this and think that I’m saying to make everything about money; this is about you taking action to give birth to your wildest dreams. Let’s say you did win the lottery, you wouldn’t turn down the money right? So why is it that we cannot take the necessary measures in our lives in order to create the life that we think only winning the lottery will bring us.
For this year, I want you to increase your capacity. Increase the possibility that exists within you. How you choose to do that is your choice, but you have to be purposeful about it. The last thing you want is to look back in ten years and regret, only wishing that you have taken the time to hone in on your potential. Time is the most valuable asset that we can often undermine, but once it’s gone there is absolutely nothing that we can do to get it back. Today is a precious gift and that it is why it is called the present.
Do what you can to make yourself sharper, smarter, wiser, a better communicator or disciplined. Make the mindful decision to grow in value, maturity, relationships, understanding, awareness and selflessness as I will be doing the same!
How will you choose to increase your capacity this year?
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
![Why Most People Won’t Make This Year, Their Year]()
by desing | Faith & Purpose
I am so glad to connect with you as I am extremely excited about the New Year! I’m looking forward to see what doors will be opened, the opportunities that will unveil and my capacity increasing in wisdom, business, discernment and blessings.
I’m hopeful that you are excited for 2015 too! At the beginning of the year, we are most likely to set new goals for the year in hopes of achieving whatever it is that our hearts desire. Perhaps your goals are to get healthier, make more money, go back to school or grow spiritually and you are now focused to make it happen.
As much as we love to get on track come January, you do not need me to tell you that most resolutions are not fulfilled. Why is that? Why do we start the year off with so much passion and desire to make “this year our year” but let the goals fall by the wayside come February?
I’ve noticed that there is a big difference between a goal-setter and a goal-getter. Anyone can set a goal, but it’s only a few who actually take the necessary measures to make it happen. I can go on about the appropriate way to set, define and achieve your goals but that’s not what I want to focus on. If you want to hear more about that, feel free to download my “Art of Goal-Getting” audio teaching here.
There’s an issue that I see many of us having; which is why we struggle with sticking to our goals for the year. They are not specific and they are not measurable.
Here’s what I mean…
Let’s say that you want to get healthier for 2015 right? What does that even look like to you? Have you lost weight? If so, how much? Do you want to tone your muscles? Great, how? Do you want to change your eating habits? Sure you do, but what does that look like to you?
Or let’s say that you want to become more financially independent? Great! What does that mean? Does that mean paying off your debt? Yes? Then how much do you want to pay off and by when? Do you want to have money saved in the bank? Of course you do! So how much do you want to have saved up, by when and how will you do it?
The key here is that I want you to become specific with your goals for 2015. When your goals are specific and measurable, they are stimulating to you and they are easier to accomplish as opposed to when they are vague. If you are in debt, you should know the exact number of how much you owe, who you owe it to so you have a clear target of the amount you need to pay off. If you want to start a business, you should have a clear idea of what that business is and when you will launch it.
Your 2015 goals should be measurable so that when December of this year rolls around, you can assess if you have hit your goal or not. I cannot assess “I want my business to grow,” however, I can assess “I want to obtain (20) new clients this year whose total value in income to my business will be $50,000.” I cannot assess “I want to better off financially” but I can assess “I want to save $7,000, pay off 60% of my debt and invest 10% of my income into a mutual fund.”
Another thing that we tend to overlook is the proven power in writing our goals down, keeping them some where we can see every day and having our goals with us everywhere that we go. I have my goals written down in my journal but I also have them written down on a piece of paper which I have taped to my wall next to my bed’s headboard so that I can see them every morning when I wake up and every night as I fall asleep. Some people write their goals on a business card or index card and keep them in their wallets so they have constant access to them. Perhaps you can take a picture of your list and save it as your screensaver. I want you to do whatever works for you, but I want you to make sure that you walk around with your goals all of the time. This will not only motivate you, but in those rough moments when things get tough because they will, you can remember what you are working towards.
You have the power to take your life from average to optimal. You have the power living inside of you to create the life you want, not one that you will settle for. You have the access to the wisdom, resources and people in order to become successful. We live in an age where our answers are a Google search away or a connection can be an email away.
If there is anything that I hope for you in 2015 is that you think BIGGER. Take the limits off of the possibilities in your mind and be disciplined enough to do the work to create the legacy that will speak for itself for countless generations to come.
Please know that I am here to serve you as best as I can, if you need any assistance with setting, defining or achieving your goals, I am offering my Goal-Setting Strategy Sessions at a discounted rate for a limited time. Do not hesitate to reach out if you need me, I’m an email away.
Let’s make this OUR YEAR!!!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose
I know this is the most cliché things to say but it is CRAZY how fast time flies! The year is coming to a close, we’re getting our 2015 plans in order and we’re off to celebrate the holiday season with our families and loved ones. It’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year.
Over the years, I have always talked about the importance of writing things down. Whether it’s your goals, the vision that you have for life, your daily gratitude lists or journal entries reflecting your thoughts, writing things down has more power than one may believe.
For one thing, writing an idea or goal down is the first physical manifestation of that idea coming into existence in the world. All things begin in thought form, but no one can see your thoughts. Wouldn’t that be crazy if they could? But I digress…
You can see your thoughts and ideas written down which not only motivates you to accomplish that vision but it’s also the first step to making that dream in your head an actual reality in your life.
Here’s another benefit of keeping a journal where you keep track of all of your dreams, goals and journal entries – you get to look back at your journal and see how far you have come. You have an eye witness account of what you achieved, what you did not, what you learned and how you have grown. Sometimes we can move so fast in life, going after the next thing, that we forget to take some time to reflect on the successes, lessons learned and personal growth.
I admit that I am one of those people. I noticed that although I have dozens of journals over the years where I have written everything down from my goals to my vulnerable moments in life, I never have taken the time to go back and really read through them. So I did exactly that over the weekend.
I wanted to look over my 2014 journal because this year has been filled with highs, lows, lessons learned, wisdom gained and goals achieved. I have had my challenges just like everyone else, but with each challenge there were wondrous successes. For that, I am grateful. In this essence, I wanted to share with you my top 10 lessons and thoughts that 2014 has taught me. I really had a list of about (30) but I narrowed it down to the best ones.
My Top Ten Lessons of 2014
- Life goals are filled with remixes and that’s OK. I noticed that I would start off with one goal and oftentimes my goal would change because I would change, the circumstances would change or my desire would change. Life is filled with surprises so it’s totally fine to welcome the remixes that life throws your way, just keep on going until you achieve whatever it is that you want to.
- Working backwards works. I’ve said it before I will say it again – you have to know where you want to go in order for you to start working to get there. My journals are filled with my ultimate dreams and lists of my optimal life which I would then use to break down my 5-year, 1-year, quarterly and monthly goals. Start with the end result in your mind and think of what you need to start doing now to get there.
- Failures are not as bad as you may think. Prior to this year, I struggled in finding the core strengths of my business. I had to experience a few “failures” in order to get where I am today. I am clear on what I need to do in order to grow my business where I want it to be. Fear of failure is a problem that many of us struggle with but I have learned that our failures are often the womb for our greatest successes.
- You cannot expect the outcome of success without being committed to the process. This is a huge one for me. At the beginning of my journey of success, I always thought that I would be a millionaire by now sitting next to Oprah Winfrey while sailing my yacht somewhere in Capri. Ha! In order to get to the end result of your success, you have to endure and persevere through the process.
- I am giraffe walking around a lot of turtles. Bishop TD Jakes shared this amazing quote, “When you are a giraffe and you receive criticism from turtles, they are reporting the view from the level that they are on.” Recognize the turtles in your life but know that you were meant to be tall and you will endanger your position if you try to lower your perspective.
- Dreams without goals remain dreams. The goals that I set, define and achieve are the backbone to everything that I have accomplished in 2014. It’s important to know that your destiny is in your hands instead of thinking that life is something that happens to you. Goals make life happen for you and if you do not have goals then there is a very little chance of manifesting your dreams.
- Both prosperity and poverty come in small increments. When we think of prosperity, we may think of a grand, opulent life that perhaps we may never be able to reach. I have learned that prosperity is something that you work on daily, little by little, discipline after discipline, little achievement after little achievement and it grows slowly from there. This principle applies to poverty as well, falling off little by little, lack of discipline little by little.
- You can’t change the seasons in your life but you can change yourself. This is perhaps my biggest lesson of the year. We are not in control of when the opportunities come or when the seasons of life will change but we can control our growth and development. We are in control of preparing for the opportunity and for the seasons to change, but the only thing we can ultimately change is ourselves.
- Profits are better than wages. “Wages will make you a living. Profits will make you a fortune. The rich invest their money first and spend the rest; the poor spend their money first and invest the rest.” This quote by the late Jim Rohn changed my life. Again, we my think that we gain financial independence by making more money, not necessarily so. It’s what you do with the money that you do have. Listen to Jim Rohn’s audiobook “Financial Independence” for more details.
- Rather the pain of discipline than the pain of regret. Discipline never seems fun because the rewards of lack of discipline are immediate while the rewards for discipline are often delayed. Discipline is going to be a major factor in how far you go in this thing called life, decide to discipline yourself now in order to have a long-term reward later.
Whew – that was plenty wasn’t it? If there is anything else that you learned from this list is that keeping a journal is necessary and I hope that you include doing so in your 2015 goals. As for me, I am going to take the next few weeks to tie up some loose ends as I have plenty good news to share with you in the New Year. I will speak to you then and I sincerely want you to know how grateful I am for you and for letting me in your life to inspire and motivate you to give birth to your dreams and embrace your legacy. It’s an honor that I will never ever take lightly.
I hope that you have a very Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose
I heard the most incredible thing earlier this week and I want to share it with you.
I don’t know about you but when I think about the overall vision that I have for my life, I always think about where I want to be, who I want to become or what I want to have accomplished. I like to create a vivid picture in my head so I know exactly what it is that I want to achieve.
Following that, I think about the action steps that I can start doing now to get me to that point. If I want to get there, then what do I need to get there? I think to myself and then the planning, goals and action steps come out of my mind onto a notebook outlining my goals.
So it’s safe to say that I like to think with the end in mind and work backwards.
This world is filled with universal laws that govern the outcome of our lives. Every outcome or “effect” is the result of some cause. In order to have a desired effect in life, you have to know what the cause is. It’s the iron clad law of cause and effect.
For example, if the effect that I want to achieve is to lose 10 lbs in January, then I must partake in several different activities in order to achieve that effect. I know the outcome I want, now I just have to figure out what I need to do (that work’s for me) in order to achieve that outcome. Let’s say that I go on some sort of low-carb diet and work out 3 times a week for an hour each time but come January 31st, I only lost 5 lbs. I may have to go back to my drawing board, assess what I did right or wrong and get back to working on the effect that I want to achieve. Perhaps I had a low-carb diet but I noticed that I was still consuming an abundance of fatty and sugary foods, which effected the outcome of my goal.
So for February, I decide to eliminate the fatty and sugary foods, and also replace my gym workouts with dance classes because I realize that I prefer that method of a workout, it’s twice as effective and better for my work schedule. I implement my new regimen and guess what? I not only hit my 10 lb. goal, I lose an extra 5 lbs on top of that!
What happened?
My desired effect never changed. The only thing that changed was how I would achieve that effect (my cause.)
The law of cause and effect is universal and it is not going anywhere. Every “effect” in your life has some sort of “cause.” Like the law of giving and receiving, the more you give the more you will receive – this is classic example of the law of cause and effect at work. Another example of cause and effect is the law of sowing and reaping – what you put out into this world is what will come back to you.
Why am I telling you all of this?
This is why. I want you to think about the “effect” that you want to have in your life. What is the end goal? And when you do, I want you to think about the “cause” that you need to partake in for you to get that effect. However, here is the most important part that I want you to get. You may have to try a few different “causes” in order to achieve the effect that you want.
Look at my example above about losing the 10 lbs. My desired goal did not change; I had to adjust my meal plan and workout schedule in order to lose the weight. Often, when we do not get the “effect” that we want, we decide to change the “effect” instead of going through trial and error to find the right “cause.” Success is not an accident; it is a deliberate, consistent, relentless effort that is determined to achieve that “effect.”
If you have gone through a few failures in your journey of success (as we all have), look at it as you going through your different “causes” in order to get that effect. Make it your business to learn from those failures, analyze what is working and what is not working for you and make the decision to implement new strategies.
All change in life begins with a decision and change is not an event but a process. Give yourself a break, pat yourself on the back for how far you have come and go back to drawing board if you need to.
Therefore I leave you with this, what effect are you looking to cause in your life?
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose
I must admit that this week I was having a little trouble deciding what I would write about. I wanted to focus on something that has been challenging me for a few months – and that would be faith.
It is so easy to tell others to have faith and to say that you have the faith of David defeating Goliath – but it’s another thing when all you have is your faith. It’s easy to have faith when you have no problems, the ideal job, all the money and everything is going beautifully in your life – but what happens when things begin to change?
Faith is more than something we feel at a church service or when times get tough – it’s really a lifestyle. I’m a woman who believes in God the Father, God the Spirit and God the Son but this is not about me getting you to believe what I do, I am sharing my story of faith. Whatever you choose to believe is totally up to you.
When we hit rough seasons in our lives, it is natural to think to ourselves, “How did I get here?” We begin to reflect on our lives trying to discover what could have gone wrong. I did quite a bit of reflecting one night and then I realized something super important.
Throughout my entire life, I never really had to use my faith. My greatest opportunities were pretty much laid out for me. I just had to walk through the open doors of opportunity. College, great jobs, incredible relationships and even love were all pretty much given to me. Of course I had to do the work, but neither of these was a hassle to achieve. I said I had “faith” but did I really? I don’t think so.
For the first time in my life, I am faced with having faith and USING it. See, what I have realized is that faith is a muscle and in order for it to work and be strengthened, we have to use it or else it will weaken. As I have grown as a woman, I like to look at my challenges in life with a different lens. As opposed to thinking, “Why is this happening to me?” – I like to ask myself “What am I supposed to learn here?” or “What got me here in the first place?”
That is when it hit me. Maria, you are supposed to be using your faith. It’s time to strengthen that thing, get out of your pity pool and use your faith!!
I know, I know. Walking by faith and not by sight is one of those things that sound great on a Facebook post but another when you HAVE to do it. Not very fun at all. Rewarding but definitely not always fun.
That’s when I decided to come up with a list of principles of faith as I like to call them to help myself and you understand faith just a little better. This list of principles was not anything that I purposefully did; these are simply ideas that came naturally to me. Not to mention, I noticed that once I adopted these principles, that is when the magic started to happen.
So if you are one of the millions of us who are walking by faith, not by sight – hoping, expecting and praying for your breakthrough, here are some simple principles that I want to share with you to help encourage and inspire you.
• Faith believes for the best and hopes for the best.
• Faith let’s go of what one cannot control.
• Faith will get God’s attention.
• Faith will drive out fear.
• Faith believes His word and not your feelings.
• Faith knows that our feelings cannot always be trusted.
• Faith understands that when hearing the word “no” that it is for the best and the right opportunity is on its way.
• Faith trusts the process.
• Faith prays with expectancy and lives with expectancy.
• Faith gives.
• Faith is a principle of God.
• Faith believes even when no one else around you does.
• Faith knows when to laugh it off and give it to God.
• Faith knows when to walk away.
• Faith checks thoughts of fear.
• Faith remains focused, empowering you to keep your eye on the prize.
• Faith gives thanks in advance.
• Faith let’s go!
My favorite of them all is that faith let’s go! I know it can be SUPER tough to let go of what you really want or need but I am talking to you as a witness that when you let it all go, that is usually when you end up receiving what you wanted plus more.
I pray and encourage you to use your faith and believe that your best is yet to come!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
