by desing | Faith & Purpose
One of the biggest excuses that we use when it comes to realizing our goals is, “I don’t have time.”
I understand. Between your job, school, family, meetings, snapping and chatting, Netflix, volunteering, Instagram, sleeping and eating then that it may seem pretty difficult to work on that goal of starting your business, working out or writing your book.
But I beg to differ. Check out what I learned in the audiobook, The Magic of Thinking Big. There are 168 hours in a week and according to a study done, this is how we spend our time on an average weekly basis:
- 50 hours a week at work (counting commute)
- 50 hours a week sleeping
- 15 hours a week eating
- 24 hours a week relaxing, eating, playing with kids, exercising, making love, etc.
- 4 hours a week for church or to watch a game (extracurriculars)
I know it may not be exactly how you spend your time, but if you do the math then this adds up to only 144 hours. You still have another 24 hours unaccounted for after you’ve worked, ate, slept, cooked, exercised, took a few selfies, volunteered and binged on a few episodes of Insecure.
This isn’t a matter of not having enough time but of making the most of the time that you do have. You’ve probably heard me say this before but if your boss asked you to come in an hour earlier or stay an hour later for the next week, then more than likely you would comply and surround your schedule around your job. If you can give more time to your job then why can’t you give more time to your dreams? Like Jim Rohn said, “If you work hard on your job, you’ll making a living. If you work hard on yourself, you can make a fortune.”
Fortune sounds good to me, how about you?
I ready another study that said that people spend on average 6 hours a day watching TV and 3 hours a day on social media! We are going into a new year and it’s time to start doing things differently in order to see the results you want.
The first step to finding time to work on your goals is to take a snapshot of where you are now. Look at how you spend your time daily and get real with what you want to change.
Now, identify where you can incorporate some of your goals into your daily schedule. For example, let’s say that you want to get closer to God or strengthen your faith. Well, perhaps you can use your time in the morning while you get ready to listen to some faith encouraging messages. Or on your commute to work you can listen to a podcast (mine launches this month), or an audio CD or use that time to just talk to God instead of listening to the radio.
Start to think of yourself as a “5 to 9er.” You might work for someone else from “9 to 5” but what are you doing when you get off of work? You can work full-time for someone else and part-time on your dreams. When you get of off work, you can go to work on your dreams by using this time to work on your goals.
Use your “off hours” to work on writing that book, go on dinner meetings, publish posts for your blog, create your business plan, or take that culinary class. I used to do this all of the time when I used to work full-time at Atlantic Records before I could work full-time on my dreams. I would meet with my web designer, schedule social media posts, research business incorporation and work on my business plan after work, on the weekend and oftentimes while at work if things weren’t busy. I’m a proud student of “Google University” LOL!!! I learned too much by just Googling things at work.
Another and perhaps the most overlooked strategy to find time to work on your goals is to wake up early. Did you know that on average, wealthy people wake up 3 hours before work? In order to wake up earlier, then go to sleep earlier. Turn off the TV and social media at a certain time and go to sleep so you can wake up well-rested.
Use an additional hour in the morning to exercise if one of your goals is to weigh your ideal weight. Take some time to pack your lunch so that you can hit that goal of saving 15% of your income this month.
When you become excellent, you will attract excellence into your life. Often, we want to wait until circumstances change in order for us to be our best and work on our dreams. But perhaps those circumstances are there to help YOU change and squeeze greatness out of you.
So if you need to find time to work on your goals then I highly suggest you download my class, Create Your Daily Success Routine as I’ll show you more details (including time-management techniques) about how to maximize the 24 hours that you have and it’s only $7!!!
If you need help discovering where to start with your goals and you’d like an step-by-step plan to help you achieve your career, business, financial, health or personal goals then download my Goal Slaying 101 audio lesson here. It’s only $15, which is worth the investment into birthing your vision!
You have as many hours in a day as Beyonce girl, don’t waste it.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
Founder, Embrace Her Legacy
@embraceherlegacy
Embraceherlegacy.com
by desing | Faith & Purpose
It’s no secret that you want to become successful but what’s your “why?” Why do you want to be successful? What’s the motivation behind your success?
Do you want to be become wealthy to help your family? Do you want to become a doctor so that you can help the sick? Do you want to start that non-profit organization helping young girls so that you can create change in your community?
These are all noble reasons to want to achieve your dreams and it’s only a matter of time, dedication, and faith and I’m sure you will see your vision realized.
Now there are other reasons some of us want to be successful. You may be chasing success for the wrong reasons which is the reason why your dreams are delayed. I’m not telling you that it won’t happen but if your motives are not in the right place then you may be experiencing resistance for the right reasons.
Here’s what I mean. Maybe the real reason you want to gain 100,000 followers on Instagram is because you’re seeking validation and meaning in the followers because you’re struggling with self-worth. Or you want to make millions of dollars to compete with your sister who is a successful attorney because you’re carrying envy or resentment towards her. Maybe you came from very humble beginnings and you were teased as a child so now you want to gain fame and fortune to prove to those who have hurt you that you are worthy.
The deceiving part of these motives is that they are attached to your worth, meaning or identity which means that you will be giving your success way to much power. You’ll let your success get to your head and your failures get to your spirit. God loves you too much to give you that success when He knows that it’s rooted in shallow motives.
It will be a great feeling when you achieve that success but if your motives are in the wrong place then what you’re chasing will never be enough. You can get 100,000 followers but sooner or later you’ll need to have more in order to continue to feel validated. You might have the millions of dollars while living your life like it’s golden but you’ll still feel empty inside.
I know this far too well as this was a major lesson that I had to learn while on my own journey. I had to realize that my worth and identity was not in what I do or my accomplishments. You are not what you do and you don’t need to be super successful in order to validate your existence. You are enough just the way you are.
If you chase money then you’ll never have enough of it and it will become your God as you give it power over you. If you chase your meaning in a relationship, your financial status, achievements, things, followers or anything else outside of yourself then you’ll never be permanently secure.
When I learned that my identity, meaning and approval came from my relationship with God (who is the only constant in my life) then I started to experience a profound joy that I’ve never experienced in my life! It’s like God allowed me to fail so that I could recognize Him and His love for me. Sometimes it takes a mountain that you can’t fix on your own to learn to trust and believe.
The seasons in your life are guaranteed to change and I don’t want you to allow your meaning to be in what you’re achieving because that may change overnight. You are complete, whole and powerful!
So I challenge you to be honest with yourself and discover your true motives for success. If you identify shallow reasons then find out why. It may be time to heal and restore those parts of you and soon you’ll experience personal success which is preceded by an abundance of outward success.
Know your “why” in everything that you do.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
Embraceherlegacy.com
P.S. Get my latest class, Goal Slaying 101: 7 Steps to Achieve Your Goals here:
Download the Class Now
by desing | Faith & Purpose
You and I both know that success is not an overnight project. There are too many different ingredients that when combined together, make a sweet recipe that you’re ready to get a taste of.
The main ingredient of the recipe will vary from person to person depending on who you ask. Some may say the main ingredient is perseverance, hard work or education but there is one missing link that is far too often overlooked and can be the cause of delay in your success if you don’t include it in your recipe.
And that’s being specific.
In order to achieve any goal, or realize any dream you must be clear and specific on what you want. If you’re vague about it, then you will produce vague, hazy results. It’s kind of like getting dressed up with nowhere to go.
Everyone wants to be successful, everyone wants to realize their dreams while living a fulfilled life. However, if you cannot define what that means for you then you will lack focus. Furthermore, creating a plan to go somewhere without a clear destination is going to be a waste of time and energy.
So you want to make more money? Well, if your goal is to make more money then don’t be surprised if you make $10 more next week because it is more money right? But I’m sure that you mean more than that when you have a goal of making more money. Well, it’s up to you to get specific about how much more money you want to make. Setting a goal of making 20% more than your current income or $70,000 per year or $10,000 per month in sales for your business is way more specific (and exciting) than make more money.
Once your goals are specific, you can begin to set action steps that are clear to help you achieve your goal. So exactly what do you need to do in order to realize your new goal for your income? Get a certification? Further your education? Increase marketing strategies for your business? Update your resume, references and start the new job hunt?
As you are intentional about being specific about your goals, you will also remain focused, manage your time better and eliminate options that are not in line with what your goal is. If your goal is to save 15% of your income every month then you know that you should start making plans to pack your lunch at least 3x a week instead of spending $15 every day on food.
Don’t be lazy about your dreams and goals, get specific with what you want. If you want to start a business, then what type of business will it be? If you want to get out of debt, then call your creditors to find out exactly how much you owe and develop your plan pay it off. If you want to get a new job, then get clear on what type of job you want.
Most people just let life happen to them instead of pursuing clear goals to make life happen for them. You don’t want to be another person on the hamster wheel of life…moving but going nowhere fast.
As you become specific with what you want, you will enhance the power that works for you in realizing your dreams. Instead of praying simple, bland prayers to enlist God’s help, you can begin to ask God for your specific requests. Now I’m not telling you to tell Him how to do it, but how can you know God answers prayer if you’re not specific about it. You may want to get married soon, well get specific about what you want in your man and start asking God about it! Yes, this is how powerful specificity is because your activating spiritual laws of faith to manifest the desires of your heart.
Do you know how encouraging it is when you begin to see exactly what you want happening to you? I suggest to take it a step further and gather images representing your specific goals and requests. Get a picture of your dream house, cut out a picture of your bank statement and write in the numbers you want to see.
And if you need a little help to identify how to figure out what you want or your action plan to make it happen, then I want you to download my Goal Slaying 101 audio lesson. I give you several strategies to help you discover what you want and I also provide a step-by-step framework to help you achieve each goal.
Get it here:
Download Now
Don’t wait until January to start planning 2017, start today!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
Embraceherlegacy.com
by desing | Faith & Purpose
So the past few days I’ve found myself meditating on things of my past. Of course, when we do this, we never think about the good. It’s seems like it’s almost human nature to rehearse the pain, failures, hurts or regrets.
After feeling this way for a few days (and feeling this way for more than a day is way too long), I woke up this morning and asked God to help me let it all go.
I proceeded to my normal, morning routine of working out while listening to something that will empower my spirit. I turned on my television to hear spiritual leader, Joel Osteen, talking about dropping it, leaving it and letting it go. I immediately knew this was God answering my prayer. It was only five minutes into it that I decided to drop it, leave it and let it go.
What do I mean by this?
Well, you can’t expect to effectively move forward to receive the best that your future has to offer you if you’re still holding onto the pain, regrets, betrayals or failures of your past. If you’re still mad at that ex-boyfriend who cheated, or you’re still regretting a mistake you made, or you’re still harboring the pain of your parents divorce or you can’t get over the failed business. Then it’s time to drop it, leave it and let it go.
You are holding onto way too many bags that you were not designed to carry. You’re holding onto to a dusty backpack when God wants to put a new Chanel in your hands.
During the broadcast, Joel Osteen said something that I’ve had to say to myself a hundred times. “If God allowed it, then it must have a purpose in the end.” I understand that there are certain disappointments that are so painful that there is no way you can understand why that would happen to you. Unfortunately, we love in a fallen world where bad things happen to good people and trying to understand why will only frustrate you and delay your healing.
Any person who has experienced disappointment, hurt or failure but who resiliently thrives over the obstacle makes a conscious decision to let it go and move forward. As a woman of faith, I’ve learned to trust God to heal me, vindicate me and give me back double for all the troubles I’ve suffered. I’ve learned to maximize God’s love for me instead of focusing on the past. Why not try doing the same?
You will become what you behold. Therefore, if you keep looking behind you then you’re allowing your past to hold your future captive. All things can be made new in your life. You may be mad at the ex of yours but just around the bend is your husband who will treat like the Queen that you are but if you keep harboring that pain, you are limiting what God can do in your future because you may end up sabotaging it. You may be pissed off at your former boss who unjustly fired you out of the blue and you endured extreme financial struggles but the job of your dreams making 5x as much as you did before is on its way. Your first business may have failed but there is a new, multi million dollar deal for a new business coming that will help you and your family achieve prosperity for generations to come.
The reason you have to “leave it” is because once you drop it, you’ll be tempted to pick it back up. Make a decision not to pick it back up. Stop talking about it (unless you need to seek professional help), stop rehearsing it, stop hanging out with the people who reinforce it, and leave it where it belongs, in your past.
Accept your past as part of your story and trust that those trials will turn into triumphs! Everything that happened to you is happening for you in order to fulfill your life’s assignment.
Write out the vision that you have for your future and surround yourself with images that represent where you want to go, not where you been. Create a new vision board representing the new things that you are expecting to have manifested in your life. Grab hold in faith of every promise that God has made over your life! This is not your end, this is very beginning if you will drop it, leave it and let it go.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Classes, Tools
So what do you think is the one thing you, me and everyone else will encounter on the journey of realizing your goals?
No, it’s not the haters either. Even though we’ll have to deal with those too.
It’s problems, challenges, and failures.
If you’re anything like me, you’re not to crazy about failures and setbacks. As a matter of fact, if you could have it your way, you would remove all the obstacles that you’re currently facing.
Although, I’m still not a fan of problems and the necessary failures of success, I’ve learned that they are needed. Not only the challenges that come as a result of trying to build your dreams but also the hurts, curveballs and disappointments that life will throw at you.
I’m sure you are familiar with your share of these.
As you know, in order for a caterpillar to transform into a butterfly, the caterpillar must undergo a process inside of a cocoon. If you’ve ever seen a caterpillar trying to break out of the cocoon as a butterfly you’ll notice the new butterfly fighting it’s way out of the cocoon using all his might to flap his tiny little wings and bust out of there.
Well did you know that if you tried to help the little guy and break open his cocoon for him that he would fall out and die? Why? Because the butterfly learning to exercise his strength in flapping his wings while breaking out the cocoon will be the strength that he will use to function and fly as a butterfly. He must learn to overcome that cocoon challenge in order to fulfill his purpose as a butterfly.
Same with you. I know that you may want to break out and run from all your challenges, pain and setbacks but those things have been allowed in your life in order for you to have the experience, compassion, ability to relate, strength, integrity, tenacity, patience and faith that you’ll need to achieve your dreams.
Trust me when I say that I know these curveballs of life can test your faith. I know it may be difficult to believe for things to turn around and it’s easy to give into discouragement. I’ve experienced some super overwhelming trials in which the only thing that has gotten me out victoriously was my relationship with God. There is no way that I would have made it out without my faith. That’s why I’ve created a very special and encouraging audio lesson to help you strengthen your faith on your journey.
I’ll be teaching on:
- Ways to strengthen your faith
- Learning to trust Who you have faith in
- Understanding God’s character
- Faith for the journey of success
- Battling negative thoughts
- Using the power in your words to change your circumstances
- Praying prayers that get answered
I want you to have this message and listen to it as often as you need to so I’m offering it for only $10 so that you have no excuse to allow yourself to be defeated any longer. God loves you and He will never leave you. He is right there with you in your cocoon giving you the strength to fight back in faith. He’s simply using me right now to encourage you.
You can get the class, Faith 101: How to Strengthen Your Faith here:
Download This Audio Lesson
Love you much and always remain committed to being a woman who embraces her legacy.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
