My people! My people! Today is the last day, the last Monday, the last 24 hours of 2018. Some people will say that 2018 was A-MAZING and they can't wait to see what 2019 will hold. Others will say that it was devastating and they cannot wait until it is over and beyond ready for a fresh start. I will forever say that it all is what we make it out to be. We all have had bad moments in EVERY single year that we've been alive, but life is all about our perspective. Let's talk a bit about that.
      Perspective is looking at the glass as half full or half empty. What do I mean by that? I'll explain. The half full side is seeing that even though half is gone, I still have half left over and I have something that I can work with. The half empty side is looking at everything that is gone and saying "Dang, I've lost a lot" and lingering on what is gone not realizing that you are negating what you still have. But the way you perceive what is happening is all up to you.
      So yes, you may have had some hiccups in 2018. But you still have breath in your body. You can still see the sun shining and hear the birds chirping. And you have had plenty of experiences to learn and grow from. The only thing we should ever be upset about is being in the same place in our right now that we were in this same time last year. If that is the case, then I get it. But if it's not, then enjoy this last day of 2018 and walk into your 2019 with your head up. If this is you and you are still in the same place, then you can still walk into 2019 with your head up. Just promise yourself that you will not be in this same place come next year this time and begin now to make moves in that direction. 
      Oh, and one last thing. Get your perspective in check. Unpleasant things will forever come our way until the day that we leave this place. But it is up to us to decide whether we will allow it to fold us or we fold it, learn from it and keep moving forward. We still have goals to accomplish. We still have life to live. We still have people to love and so much love to still receive. You heard me? Get your perspective in check and let's bust 2019 in the face. You ready? Well let's GEAUX!!! 💜💜💜

      As we come into the last week of 2018, I can't help but to reflect back on all of the ups and downs that occurred throughout the year. I laughed, I cried, I learned, I grew, I gained, I loss, so on and so forth. But I must say that it was a pretty darn good year. I, like many other people in this world, didn't do a 2018 resolution. I simply declared that this year I would try to enjoy life more. And this will be my same thought for my 2019 and my 2020 and my 2021 and my 2022..... you get the picture.
      Though I don't have much to say today, I do want to say this to you. Life already has so many twist and turns. Ins and outs. Ups and downs. Highs and lows. (I can go all day with that.) But through it all, DO NOT forget to choose to laugh, choose to live and choose to love. None of us know what tomorrow holds. None of us can predict how everything​ will turn out. The only thing that is in our control is our right now. The moment that is upon us. So right now, I dare you to
Choose to live.
Choose to be in the moment.
Choose to enjoy those around you.
Choose to laugh.
Choose to focus on the good and not the bad.
Choose not to focus on tomorrow. 
      I can always look at a person and tell what they have chosen. It is not hard to see. It is written all over each and every one of us while we are thinking that we are the greatest at hiding our entire selves from the world. But the next time I or anyone around you looks at you, we should be saying, "Yep, he/she chose the good stuff". I cannot say that it will always be easy because our minds constantly want to focus on the worries and troubles of tomorrow. That bible verse is real that states that tomorrow has troubles of its own. Take it one day at a time. One situation at a time. One moment at a time. Train your mind to choose the good and eventually it will become second nature. But do not let 2019 catch you not choosing laughter, life and love. The good stuff in life that will add to and not take away from your life. Just choose it.

      On yesterday while in church, my dear husband preached a sermon titled "The "ANYWAY" in Me". He was talking about us as people developing an attitude where we get those things done in our life Anyway. Like, no matter what happens, I'm going to do it anyway. No matter what comes my way to try to hinder me, I'm going to do it Anyway. No matter who says what about me doing it, I'm going to do it Anyway. 
      I've had many times in my life where my Anyway was tested. My Anyway lost at times and prevailed at others. I can honestly say that if I stuck to my Anyway a lot more in my past, that I'd be much further in life than I am right now. Not saying that I am not happy where I am, but you get the point.
      On yesterday, I sat in my seat listening to the hubster, and I decided that my Anyway is going to be on top in my life. We are finishing up another year that went by faster than the last year and the year before that. None of us know how many more years we have on this Earth but I'm sure we want to leave with a few more notches in our belt than we have now. In order for that to happen, no matter what happens, no matter what comes our way, no matter who says or does what, our Anyway has to stand tall.
I'm going to do it Anyway.
I'm going to move Anyway.
I'm going to start Anyway.
I'm going to follow through Anyway.
I'm going to get the information Anyway.
I'm going to make the calls Anyway.
I'm going to love Anyway.
I'm going to give Anyway.
I'm going to create the life that I want to live Anyway.
I'm going to finish Anyway.
So on and so forth. Our Anyway is going to get us where we want and need to be. Life will throw everything and the kitchen sink at us. All we can do is put our head down, brace ourselves for the Impact and keep moving forward Anyway. There are many times that I've laughed, cried, prayed, cursed,  fought and so much more. And so will you. But our Anyway had, and has, to be just that. It's an attitude. It's a lifestyle. It's a way of life!
      Lastly I will say this..... don't wait for people to clap for or motivate you. This has been most of our issues in life. We wait for those who we think or the closest to us to jump on board with our decisions. You have to say that matter who claps, buys my product, shares my business on social media, congratulates, motivates, is a listening ear, etc. I gotta do it Anyway. You know where you want to be. Get there. Anyway. 

      When I look back over my life, at the ripe age of 37 that I am, I can pinpoint so many times where I was beyond serious and didn't need to be. Where I took everything with a grain of salt because that's what I was supposed to be like. Now looking back, I can wholeheartedly say that "It didn't take all of that". I spent so much time focused on my schooling, my career, my health, etc.... that I forgot to have fun. Now I look up and say, "Where did the time go?" Many of you reading this are probably saying the same thing.
      We tend to take life waaaaaaay more seriously then necessary. We go above and beyond and don't take time off of our jobs that will replace us at the drop of a hat. We center every aspect of our lives around it and will not budge regardless of sickness, bad weather and sometimes even tragedy. I just want to say this to you........ As we come to a close of 2018, DO NOT let another year, month, week, etc. go by where you do not have fun and enjoy life. You owe that to yourself. 
      Many of us are making ourselves age faster than we are supposed to because we are so rigid, mundane and set in our grinch like ways. If you have children, you definitely owe that to them. Teach them what it means to LIVE LIFE. Otherwise you are making little replicas of yourself that will grow up and not know how to have fun or enjoy life and age faster than they are supposed to. If you can't do it for yourself, let them be your motivation. Ok? Now don't think about it. Because you'll find EVERY reason under the sun why you can't do it. JUST DO IT! Get addicted to having some fun time in the midst of your taking care of business. Ok? Ok. Cool. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

      This morning on my way to work, Joe Pace's Speak Life begin to play from my list of downloaded music on my phone that is connected to my car. As I listened to the song, all I could think of was all the times that I beat myself up and put myself down because I:
​
1. Was not where I thought I should be in life.
2. Was not making the best decisions for my life.
3. Was wasting time and being neglectful with time and the resources given to me in my life.
      And I was so wrong for doing this. Other people don't pull us down, we pull ourselves down. What I heard the singer say was, no matter where you are or how badly you think your life is, you got to speak life to your self and your situation, encourage and uplift yourself and everything will be alright. He kept saying these words as well, "You won't die. You won't die." I don't think we understand the power of the words that we speak out of our mouths in regards to our self and our life. Our words shape our reality and they bring life or death to everything around us. They really do.
​      I remember being in a hospital bed thinking "This is it". I was going to leave my husband and my son and go and be with GOD based off of what the Doctors told me about my condition. I gave up on me..... terribly bad. In the midst of my pity party, I had a visitor and they brought me this pillow that said "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalms 37:4" That pillow stayed in my bed and it slowly began to encourage me to fight a little bit more. Day by day, I simply recited that scripture then eventually I picked up my bible and begin to read it. I begin to delight myself in Him and encourage myself. I can tell you that, as sure as water is wet, I spoke myself out of that bed and shocked those doctors. But it wasn't a one and done thing. I went to the hospital many more times after that and each time, my faith got stronger in my words that I used towards me. I spoke myself through 3 partial colectomies. I spoke myself through possible amputation. I spoke myself to learn to walk again 3 separate times. I spoke myself through MRSA twice and I have the scarring for ALLLLL of them. Lol.
      I want to encourage you today that the next time you begin to talk down on yourself, to change that around and speak life to yourself. What I know about GOD is that He is no respecter of person. No one person has the power to do more than another. We all have the same power. If I could do it, then so can you. Speak life to your situation today. To your children, your spouse, your finances, your job, shot even those evil people on your job. Your words have so much power and you have the authority to turn it around. Just use your words. 💜💜💜​