I've said this before, but when starting this community and when joining other communities on skool, I never anticipated the actual 'community' piece of it. Didn't expect the very real connections that would be made through a medium that seemed so detached to me. But, here we are, connecting. And it feels real. Because maybe, just maybe, it is real after all? This past week @LaTanya Carter and I had an incredible journey making our way through a few countries (more on that in a different post). It's been a beautiful trip filled with realizations, beautiful scenery and gratitude. I'm so thankful for the ability to do this and so so blessed to do this with her! She's lovely 💗 The highlight on the very last day of our trip has been being able to meet @Serena DAfree in real life!!! 🇺🇲🌎🇬🇧 Her and I met early on and we just 'clicked'. Her heart for people and her ability to look beyond the surface really stood out and I just love her energy. The real life meet up just further highlighted her spirit and her love. (Thank you for a lovely lunch!) Spending time with her was the best part of the last day. It never ceases to amaze me that we live in a time where we can meet strangers (from all over the world) online and become friends and meet them in real life. Wild times... How have your online connecting experiences been for you? I personally know it doesn't always turn out positive but obviously I'm hoping for more good than bad!

Affirmations are intentional statements we use to help shape our focus, identity, and internal dialogue. They're about reinforcing the mindset we actually want to live from. The most effective affirmations are believable enough to accept, repeated consistently (and internalized over time), emotionally /value connected AND backed by action. :) These were some of the ones I've been leaning on this week: -"I owe it to myself to see how capable I truly am and to live and expand upon my potential" -"I keep promises to myself" -"I will not sleepwalk through a life others would fight for" -"I reject comfort that weakens me and I accept discomfort that strengthens me" -"I don't wait to lose things to appreciate them". Would love to hear some of yours! :) Do you use affirmations or reminders?

Okay, I'm a big "offender" of this. I double text (and triple and quadruple text) and I can get elaborate on details making some texts sound like little novels...And now, voice memos? A whole new ball game....yikes! But also...ooooh! :) Although never my intention, I'm sure there have been a few casualties along the way as a result of me doing this. (Feel free to send me a message and lmk! ha! ) But, I've been thinking about how much meaning we assign to different texting habits. 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 (sending another message before the person replies) often gets labeled as “desperate” or “too much.” Perhaps it can even fall under the category of anxious or insecure. But honestly? Sometimes it just means someone is engaged, excited, or had another thought (or 10, ha). Context matters. I think that we internally 'know' where the energy is coming from. 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘀 get a similar reputation. Some people see them as overwhelming; others see them as thoughtful and emotionally available. A long text can mean someone wants to be clear, transparent, and thorough. It can also mean they process externally. And it can also mean that they've been burnt in the past and want to be understood. Again, context matters and I think that we can recognize internally where this is coming from too. In my experience, the “best” type of communication isn’t about message length or timing rules. It’s more about clarity over mind games, consistency over intensity, directness over guessing and mutual effort over one-sided pursuit. I think that it's really important to communicate our 'go to' style so that we don't have to guess what it all means. I also think it's helpful to communicate/assess how things may land when we receive a text. Additionally, I think it's really really important to assess our whys behind what/how we're communicating and also how we're taking things in from the other person. (Why am I sending a novel right now--would it suffice to send something shorter? Is the other person more likely to be receptive if I send something shorter and if I don't double text? AND ALSO Why do I feel overwhelmed when I get a long paragraph or why do I feel anxious if a person doesn't answer for a long time or answers with a very short response? What's going on internally? Communication happens between two or more people. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 AND 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Good morning, empowered fam! Just checking in on you all to see how your first quarter of the year went and what your intetions are for the next three months! :) Here are some things to ponder: 1. What are some wins of the past 3 months? 2. Where do I need to make some adjustments/where is there opportunity for growth? 3. What are my intentions for the next 3 months? Attached is a Quarter 2 Planning Worksheet! :) Consider the different areas of life: Relationships, Spirituality, Physical/Mental Health, Career/financial, Purposeful Action, Creativity, Overall Personal Growth. POLL: How did the last 3 months go?

What's something that's true that you wish wasn't? or What's something that's not true that you wish was true?