by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
So the other day I read this post that read “6 + 3 = 9 and so does 5 + 4, the way you do things is not always the only way to do them. Respect other people’s way of thinking.” When I say that this was right on time when I read it! I will be candid enough with you to let you know that I have been fighting one of life’s inevitable storms for a few months now and at first, I was struggling big time because I thought my journey of success would be easy, breezy and beautiful. I thought that the red carpet of success would be rolling out for me by now and although others see me as successful, I ultimately define my success and I feel like I have so much further to go.
But lately, I’ve been experiencing a new found peace in my journey. Since I was a child, I always yearned for an extraordinary life with an extraordinary amount of success. And now I am realizing that it will take an extraordinary path to reach my ultimate life goals. Another major culprit that was causing my issues with this life-changing storm in my life was comparing myself to others. I didn’t even notice that I was doing it until one day I stopped and thought about what I was thinking about. Sounds crazy but sometimes we can allow our thoughts to run ramped and determine our moods and actions. We can see others achieve their successes and feel like “When is my time going to come?” For me, it wasn’t even about that. My issue was that I felt like “When will I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor?” or “God, what is taking you so long? How come I can’t enjoy the pleasures of life right now like everyone else? Aren’t I serving you? Where are you? Why is it so hard?”
That’s when I decided to change my thinking. I looked around at the people that were “enjoying the fruits of their labor” and I realized that most of them were not living the life that they wanted; they were still tied to a job or circumstance in life that was not allowing them to become what they truly desire. And it hit me. “Maria, you have been diligent and dedicated and you have proved to yourself that you stand for something. You have gone after your purpose to manifest your dreams in spite of whatever odds you may have faced. You are living in purpose and defining the legacy you want to leave even when it’s making you uncomfortable. You are the essence of what you preach.” I fell into a state of peace which I have never experienced before. So much so that if God were to call me home tomorrow or earlier than I expected, then I would leave in peace knowing that I lived every day standing for something and becoming who I wanted to be so I could honor what God has called me to do. WOW! At my age, not too many people can say that, but I can.
So why did I just tell you all of this? Well, I want you to know this very fact. We are all trying to get to that number 9. Some people will get there by adding 8 + 1; some people will get there by adding 2 + 10 and then subtracting 3. The key is that we are not to judge how others get there and most importantly we are not to judge ourselves either. You equation to get to “9” may look COMPLETELY different from others and that is perfectly fine. If you are not where you want to be then start to embrace the season that you are in. If you are reading this then I am going to go out on a limb and say that you do not desire a mediocre life, one that is said to be reasonable but which is really a mask for fear. You want to live a life of freedom and one that demonstrates to the world that you are living in your purpose, embracing your legacy and manifesting your dreams no matter what the cost. So what if you’re in a rough patch that is a result of you chasing your dreams? Most people are in rough patches and they are not even pursuing their passions. Now I am not saying to judge them, because once again, we are all experiencing our own journey to get to that “9.” Nonetheless, embrace your season of difficulty for your dreams and applaud yourself for courageously going after what YOU want and not what the world tells you is “normal.”
I think that we allow others to define what success is or what “normal” is for us instead of boldly setting our own rules and setting our own precedence.
I leave you with this question. If you were no longer here next month, would you be satisfied with the message that your life sent? Would you feel as though you have accomplished what you wanted in spite of your circumstances? Would you be proud of your legacy? I hope that you would be and if you wouldn’t be then praise the fact that you are still on this earth and you have the power to change that. Utilize what you have access to and if there is any way that I can serve you through any of our purpose living tools or Embrace Her Legacy resources then feel free to see if any of them are a good fit for you.
We are all embracing a new season, one that is usually to provoke change and achievement. I am here to serve you in the best way that I can but it’s ultimately your decision to live in purpose and embrace your legacy!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
So most of you know that every week I send out my “legacyism” messages that are created to empower, motivate and inspire you. My messages are usually influenced by something that I am currently dealing with or have dealt with – which is how I work most of the time as I like to speak from personal experiences.
This week I decided to switch things up a bit and I recorded a video for this week’s post.
One of our biggest setbacks in life can be the wrong relationship. I believe that relationships can make you or break you and you cannot effectively honor the call over your life if you have a slew of unhealthy relationships in your life. Honey, you are worth so much more! And trust me when I say that I have been there, done that and go the t-shirt!
You have to know the difference between those people who are assigned to you and those people who are attached to you. People who are attached to you are those soul-sucking folks that take away from your life and do not add anything. They eat at your peace, well-being and spirit. Every time you deal with this person you are more tired and frustrated then invigorated. Simply put – they are like leeches sucking at your soul.
Then there are those people that have been assigned to you. God works through people to ultimately achieve His will. There are people who have been assigned to you for whatever reason it may be. Perhaps it is to encourage, motivate or inspire or perhaps it’s simply to put a smile on their face. Some people are assigned to us for our growth, for a moment in time, for a season or for a lifetime. There are people who are waiting for you to use your gifts, talents, skills and abilities to serve them – this is the essence of living in purpose.
So I want you to take an inventory of the relationships in your life. Is there someone who has been attaching themselves to you that you need to let go? Are there people who perhaps have been assigned to you? Are there people who you can serve?
Even if you may not know who has been assigned to you, I want to challenge you to live daily in an awareness as to who you can be of service to. You don’t have to do anything extravagant, sometimes it can be as simple as listening to someone, being a great friend, sharing words of wisdom to someone at the office or helping someone with their grocery bags.
I share more about this in this week’s video post so I hope that you have a chance to watch it here. Feel free to comment on the video with any questions and I will do a follow-up video post with answers. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey and I hope that I can help you embrace your legacy in any way that I can!
As always, it’s my honor to serve!
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
On my journey of embracing my legacy and pursuing my purpose instead of taking the “safe” route, faith has been the rock that I thought I stood on until recently. For the past few months, I have been forced to walk by faith in a way that I have never been challenged to before and it got me to thinking. Prior to this season of my life where challenges were not as “challenging” for lack of a better word, I believed that I “walked by faith” until it hit me that I really wasn’t because you really will not know what faith is until it’s all that you have to stand on. When life throws its curveballs, this is when the true testimony of walking by faith will reach its climax.
It’s easy to tell others to have faith and walk by faith and not by sight, but when it is your turn to do so, it may not be as easy. I am firm believer that I am serving God and serving others in my journey as an entrepreneur and “midwife to your legacy,” but I have yet to experience a time in my life where I literally had nothing else to stand on but faith.
Walking my faith is not always a pretty sight. There are moments in your life where your faith will be challenged and tested but it’s for you to grow. I am a believer in God of the Bible and Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior but this is not about me trying to preach the gospel to you, this is about living in honor and submission to your calling even when your faith is being tested to the point that your faith is no longer rock solid faith, but struggling faith.
You’re trying to pay your bills and the money isn’t there. You’re trying to make a vision come to pass but the resources are not there and nowhere to be found in sight. You’re biological clock is ticking and your future husband hasn’t even come close to showing up. You’re hoping that your loved one will be healed of whatever illness that he or she is battling but the doctor’s reports are getting worse. You want to quit your job to pursue your dreams but your fears are only getting louder.
These situations are just a few of the myriad ways that walking by faith can look like.
Oftentimes, we can be misled to believe that walking by faith will guarantee only seasons of abundance. Or better yet we think that we are the only ones who struggle with faith when challenges arise. I am here to tell you differently. You will not know what faith really is until it is all that you have to stand on. Walking by faith will not always be easy and it will look crazy at times. You may even be ridiculed by others when doing so but you have to be willing to endure the process of success if you want to experience the benefits of the outcome. I want you to keep the faith in spite of whatever you may be going through because getting through this time will prepare you to get through life’s next storm.
If your faith is currently being tested, please know that you are not alone! I am in that same boat too, walking on water, trying to keep my eyes focused on God’s power and not my own. I too have doubted, struggled with faith and even thought about giving up several times but there is something on the inside of me that will not allow me to do it. I am walking by faith even when no one around me thinks that I am making the wise decision to do so, however, I know now that I am walking truly by faith. So trust me when I say that I know how challenging walking by faith can be but we have to be willing to do it so that our faith can be strengthened and we can be able to tell others “I’ve been there before.”
So how have I been getting through it? Like this:
- Take it one day at a time. Allow tomorrow to worry about itself and focus on today. Even if you need to take it one hour at a time, then do so.
- Let go. Stop trying to figure it all out. Focus on doing your best and allowing God to do the rest; once you let things go that is usually when the magic unfolds. And magic has been happening by the way that I cannot wait to share!
- Stay focused on the end result by getting a mental picture. I try to focus on how life will be after the storm is over after I have received the deliverance; that keeps me going.
- Keep an attitude of gratitude. Instead of focusing on what you do not have, focus on what you do have.
- Change the plan. If the goal isn’t manifesting the way that you thought that it would, don’t change the goal; change the strategy to get there.
Walking my faith may have it’s challenges, but just because things may not be working out does not mean that things aren’t going the way that they are supposed to. Embrace that for a moment and please know that you are not alone. Remember that faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
Faith AND patience will obtain the promise in the end. Remain faithful, patient and grateful 🙂
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
Money. It’s something that is synonymous with power and respect and has all been called “the root of all evil.” However, whether we like to admit it or not having a substantial amount of money can make our lives less challenging. If you are surprisingly let go from your job, become ill or need to pay for your children’s education – having a good stash of money can help ease your mind as you face life’s unsuspecting trials that require us to have some sort of savings to pull through those rough moments.
Let’s face it, we ALL could use a little more cash in our pockets unless you are millionaire reading this and if you are then GREAT; please tell us how you did it. We all need money to survive but as I have mentioned before, poor thinkers focus their thoughts on survival and great thinkers focus their thoughts on progression. One way to ensure that you will never be rich is to stick to one income stream. It is very hard to become wealthy by simply collecting a weekly check from your job. It is essential to create additional income streams for yourself. Before you try to tell me that this is a message of greed, let me tell you that when you have money you can use it to create change, serve and impact the lives of others. That business you want to launch, the non-profit you want to start in your community, that new house you want to by, that school you want to send your kids to, that life insurance policy you desire, that healthcare you would like to have all require money. I am NOT saying to be a slave to money because I believe that the love of money is the root to all evil. If you chase money, then you will never have enough of it and you will never be at peace.
There is nothing wrong with creating different income streams for yourself to provide the best future for yourself and your family. I always say, “You are the leader of your life and you have the power to lead your life from average to optimal.” This means that you have the gifts, talents and abilities on the inside of you to create the life that you want. So here is what I want you to do.
Instead of asking yourself, “How can I make more money?” – I want you to ask yourself “How can I use my gifts, talents and abilities to serve others and in turn generate more income for myself?” The latter is about using what you are good at to serve others instead of solely focusing on yourself. This is NOT about getting more money to get rich quick, this about using the principle of service and purpose to create the life that God has called you to live. There is nothing wrong with having things, just as long as you do not allow them to have you.
The next step that I want you to take is writing it down. Sit down with a pen and notebook and write down what strengths, skills and gifts you have and ideas as to how you can use them to serve others and generate additional income. I want you to be selfless and think about how can be of best service to others. Perhaps you have a knack for writing – well maybe you can help people edit their resumes or you can write blog posts that inspire people. Perhaps you have insane organizational skills, well then maybe you can be someone’s virtual assistant for a few hours out of the week. Get my drift ladies?
The final step that I want to you to take is to write down goals and possible strategies in regards to bringing those ideas forth. If you do not know where to start, then pray and ask God to give you the strategy. Oftentimes, we pray for a miracle to fall out of the sky, nonetheless, sometimes actions get the miracle. You have to position yourself in the right place to receive the miracle and prepare for what you prayed for. Thinking and speaking positively are important too, but there is a power in writing down your goals because it is the first physical manifestation of the thought which invigorates you to pursue the goal.
I sincerely hope that this message has been a blessing to you and that you can use this message as a catalyst to leading your life from average to optimal. I am here to serve you and if you need any further assistance in identifying your gifts to serve others to create additional income streams then please feel free to reach out to me for a 1-on-1 Goal Setting Skype Call. I want to help you WIN so if this is something that seriously interests you then please feel free to find out more here 🙂
Also, I wanted to let you know that I am also going to be hosting a FREE “Love Your Legacy Google Hangout” on Tues. Aug 19th at 8pm EST discussing the power of your story, manifesting your God-given dream, living in purpose and defining your legacy! The first person to register and attend the event will win a FREE copy of my book Love Your Legacy: How to UnMask Your Truth to Discover Your Purpose and Birth Your Vision. There will be other exclusive offers for those who attend so I am looking forward to hanging out with you then, you can register here.
As always, it’s my honor to serve!
Warmest Regards,
Maria I. Melendez
Founder and CEO
@EmbraceHerLegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
We hear the term “life is short” but sometimes that does not hit home until we have some sort of tragedy occur in our lives that oftentimes will take the life of a loved one, friend or relative. These past few days have opened my eyes to what it really means to live and I want to share it with you.
This past Saturday night, I went to bed with such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I magnified all that I did have in my life instead of what I did not and for the first time I felt rich. I was filled with thanksgiving as I meditated on the blessings of my life. My life has not been an easy journey but it is one that I am proud to say that is mine and I am grateful. The next day, I was bombarded with the news that a family friend lost her battle to cancer and unfortunately passed away. My heart sank…
After receiving the news and sharing the news with the rest of my family, I went for a much needed walk. Oddly, the sun never shined brighter on my face and I felt an indescribable connection to life. My emotions were mixed – sad, angry, joyful and hopeful. All I kept thinking was how we can major in the minor things in life only to have this valuable thing called “life” taken away sooner than we think. All the hours of worrying, being angry, being unforgiving, being resentful, being fearful are actually a HUGE waste of our time. Time is one thing that we all have but also one thing that we can never get back once it’s gone.
We all think that we have more time. Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that, how do you really know that you have more time? So this is what I am getting at here – take advantage of every day that you have. If there is someone that you need to forgive, then do it. If there is a goal or dream that you want to achieve then do it. If there is someone that you need to ask forgiveness of, then do so. If there is a truth that you need to speak, then honor your truth. If there is a place that you want to visit, then put the vacation on your calendar and go.
You can sit around and get upset about what you do not have or you can tap into your riches and praise God for what you do have. If you cannot find one thing, be thankful that you are alive and you can tell your loved ones “I love you,” because there is someone who wasn’t able to do it today or there is someone who wished that they could hear their loved one say it to them one last time.
Life can be flipped upside down in an instant and in those moments we have to learn to surrender to that process. As for me, I am learning to accept the transitions in life. I am learning that me becoming a woman who is “rich” has nothing to do with my possessions and I am living each day to the best of my ability. To live is to love, to live is to forgive, to live is to be thankful for each blessing and lesson learned, to live is to learn from our mistakes, to live is to be courageous, to live is be intentional, to live is honor our purpose.
I don’t know how much longer I have left, but I am committed to staying focused on what I have been called to do and embracing the journey and all the people I build relationships with along the way. I hope that I can inspire you to do the same.
Live. Forgive. Love.
Maria I. Melendez
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
@EmbraceHerLegacy
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
I’ve come to believe that there are two different types of people in this world. There is the person who makes something happen and the other who watches others make things happen. I’m constantly checking to see what the difference between these people is and there are several differences that I have noticed. A group of people can be “dealt the same cards of life” but then only a few manage to rise up and lead their lives to the optimal place that they want, refusing to settle along the way. Along with being driven, focused, disciplined and hard-working, I have also noticed this key factor – they are NOT scared to go outside of their comfort zone, meet new people and build meaningful relationships.
This is such a great character trait to have. However, I see many of us ladies who can be scared, timid or who fear rejection when it comes to building relationships with new people to create a star-studded network. I’ve noticed that most of life’s greatest opportunities will come your way from the people that you know. The power in relationships is beyond anything that you can imagine. It’s the reason people can keep a job they should have lost or get a job that they are under-qualified for. I have seen it happen dozens of times and I’m sure that you have too.
I’m a relational person so one of my core strengths is building relationships with other people which I know may not come easy to those of you who are a little more introverted. I believe I have a FANTASTIC group of people in my network who are not only incredible at what they do and who are remarkable people, but who also support me. When I think about how blessed I am to know them, I am humbled with gratitude. I think that one of the major reasons that hinders some of us women from creating a powerful network is the fear of rejection so we sit comfortably in our circle of friends which we’ve known for years. There is nothing wrong with that but you should have a diverse group of people that you can talk to about relationships, career, business, finances, faith etc. This is about finding people who are in your “rhythm” and who can be an asset to your network in accordance to the vision you want to birth. If you are make-up artist with the intention of being a celebrity make-up artist then you should know other MUA’s, stylists, and media personnel. If you are an entrepreneur of a tech company, then you should know others “techies” and people in your industry.
So I am here to help you with a few special tips of how to build a star-studded network:
- Start where you are. There is always someone who you have access to who can help you get to where you want to go. Think of anyone you may know of that you want to further build with or perhaps someone you may know can introduce you to someone.
- Introductions are LIFE-SAVERS! People will pay attention to you more when someone they know and trust introduces you to them. Do not be afraid to ask for an introduction if someone you know has access to someone you want to meet.
- When meeting someone for the first time, extend your hand for a firm handshake, smile, look them in the eye and introduce yourself. This demonstrates confidence.
- Always have your business cards ready. I carry my cards with me EVERYWHERE I go; you never know when you may meet someone. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for their card either.
- FOLLOW UP! One of my pet peeves is when people say “O yeah, I’ll reach out to you,” only to never hear from them. If you say you are going to reach out to someone, then do it. Honor your word because whether or not you do is going to affect your reputation. Trust me when I say that word of mouth is powerful and people will warn others about you if you are someone who lacks consistency.
- How do you follow up after you get the business card? Glad you asked! It’s simple as sending them a simple email within a week of meeting them. You don’t want to do it the next day because you do not want to seem too aggressive. Wait a few days and send a simple email stating that it was nice to meet them, give them a recap of whatever words you shared when meeting and that you look forward to keeping in touch.
- Take it a step further. If you met this person and you have discussed connecting soon over lunch or coffee then hold people to their word. I do this because I want to show people how I want to be treated. As aforementioned, I’m not a fan of people not honoring their word so I hold people accountable to what they said. So I will simply state in the email something along the lines of setting up time to catch lunch or coffee soon.
- When you do finally get time with that person over the lunch or the coffee then make sure that you pick up the bill and do your homework on what the other person has accomplished. You want to have some sort of talking points in your head. Ask questions. This demonstrates that you care enough to do some research on the person before inviting them out.
- Please change the generic message on LinkedIn to something a little more specific when requesting people in your network. “Nice to meet you at…” or “We went to the same school and I wanted to reconnect.” You want to be specific so people can recognize you.
- Get to know people! At the end of the day, you want to connect with people. Get to know who they are, where they grew up, if they have any children etc. You may find commonalities that you share which can be an aspect that you can discuss more and build upon. People want to know that they matter and it’s our job to do so. Be authentic with people and be someone who can serve them.
I can literally go on and on here but I will stick with these (10) points for now. The most important factor is to get over the fear of rejection when meeting new people. Another person’s opinion of you shouldn’t change your opinion of you. Be yourself. Be a woman of integrity who is committed to excellence and others will take notice.
As always, it’s my honor to serve!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
