New Beginnings

I love the first day of every week, every month, every quarter and certainly every new year! It’s a time I associate with “New Beginnings.” A chance to hit the reset button, to start all over again, to get it right, whatever ‘it’ means for you. You can leave yesterday’s mistakes, troubles, issues, problems and yes even successes behind and focus on the future  – what you want it to look like, how you will get there, who you will take with you and what you will leave behind! Oddly enough this month, the theme of “New Beginnings” is resonating with me during the middle of a month, which is not my usual “routine”.

I honestly have no idea why I’m writing this or who it’s for – it could very well be just for me. As I reflect on the song linked above, I am reminded that every day presents a chance, an opportunity for new beginnings. We can change our path, our trajectory, the way we think, what we think about and sometimes even the outcome of most things in our life by making a simple decision to start all over again. The decision we make is that today will be a new beginning for me, for my family, for my community, for my work environment, for my relationships, for my church, for my sorority, or for whom/whatever I choose! As the song says, this is,

my future, my blessing, my promise, my reward

So yes, you can start all over again! No matter where you are, where you stopped, what direction you were going in, what you have been through, or whether you have completed the task or not! We can all chose to have a new beginning every day.

Here are a few quotes to inspire you to start your very own new beginning and to think about what a new beginning looks like and means for you. Quotes are courtesy of Iyanla Vanzant. Pick one that resonates with you the most today (tomorrow’s answer maybe different) and use that as an anchor for your new beginning. I highlighted a few in green that stood out for me.

  1. “When we start the day with a spirit of joy, openness, peace and love, we put the universe on alert, we want more of the same.”
  2. “No matter what is going on in your life today, remember, it is only preparation for better things.”
  3. “Do not allow yesterday’s garbage to influence your experience today. It is unnecessary to punish yourself for being human.”
  4. “Forgiveness fosters growth, learning, and healing.”
  5. “What you tell yourself about yourself, about your life, about your limitations, you will believe.”
  6. “Each day, focus your attention on what you want. Each day, take one step that will bring you closer to it.”
  7. “Your life is a reflection of what you believe. If you really believe something can stop you, it will.”
  8. “All things are possible! The key is to identify what you want, claim it for yourself, and believe that you are worthy to have it.”
  9. “Give of yourself, your knowledge and the information you have received, then prepare yourself for an outpouring of blessing.”
  10. “Just do what you do and do it well. Stop worrying about what other people are doing, or what they will say about what you are doing.”
  11. “Be aware of how you treat yourself, because you set the standard for others.”
  12. “You are powerful. Stand up in your power! Embrace your power! Serve the world by bringing your power into your life.”
  13. “You have a right to say no…Your ‘no’ muscle has to be built up to get to a place where you can say, ‘I don’t care if that’s what you want. I don’t want that. No.’ “
  14. “The process of life is ever guiding you, pushing you, preparing you for the next part of the process.”
  15. “You know how to make it through the ups and downs, the good times and the hard times. You have done it before. You will do it again!”

XoXo 💞 BriAlys

Positioning

paparazzi600x399This morning I woke up with one word on my mind: positioning. As in the act of getting into an ideal spot. Parents sacrifice so their kids can go to the best schools, that is an act of positioning them for future success. Papparrazi climb fences/gates just so they can get the perfect shot. That’s also positioning. If you play chess or know anything about it, you also know that finding a way to get your pieces in the perfect spot so you can go boldly proclaim, checkmate. Finding the correct spot a particular piece needs to be in on that chess board at exactly the right time is an act of positioning.

Positioning is a constantly evolving thing and the spot you need to be in today is not necessarily the same spot you need to be in tomorrow. Sometimes you have to remove barriers or knock on new doors, stretch yourself to heights you never knew you could go to or maybe even give up something in hopes of getting something else. Prime example: As I got older I realized I didn’t want to live in the North; but, I viewed it as a means to an end. It was a part of my journey that was required to land me in the very spot I’m in today. I picked up pieces along the way, pieces that allowed me to get in position. And on that journey – from Birmingham to Rochester to Cleveland and finally to my “destination”, Atlanta – I gained some things and I lost some things. And I’m perfectly ok with that because I’m in position. The position I say I should be in.

tumblr_ly2c8jmxum1r4dfvho1_500My point to you is this: the only person that knows the ideal position at this very point in time for your life is you. Your positioning is up to no one other than you – you own it, you decide. You get to take credit and rejoice when things go well; but, you also have to take responsibility when they don’t go well, regardless of the reasoning behind it. You are required to first decide you need to be in a different position, investigate and truly understand what that means, claim it, pray about it, move into it and then do (or not do) all the things required to maintain your spot or position.

Positioning can apply to work, home or play and you are the only one that can be the MVP of your Game of Life. Pay very close attention when your positioning feels off and do something about it. Or as Beyonce would say, “Get in Formation.” Don’t just sing, do.

Invest with Acorns

Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 11.19.13 AMInvesting is complicated. So much so that many people don’t even bother. Acorns, a mobile investment app can help! Essentially, every time you swipe your card (debit or credit), Acorns rounds up to the nearest dollar value and automatically invests the change for you! The money goes into a separate account that is completely under your control, meaning you can make deposits or withdrawals at any time. The fees are super simple to understand/digest: $1 per month (or $12/year) for accounts less than $5,000, 0.25% for accounts more than $5,000. Student accounts are free and every Acorns account is insured up to $500,000 for fraud.

To get started, sign up here. Acorns also has a money blog, Grow Magazine.

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BIEBERspiration

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Today’s post features Sunday morning inspiration from an unexpected place, Justin Bieber. Yes, THAT Justin Bieber – courtesy of GQ magazine. #transformation #begreat

Bieber speaks about God with the easy superfluity of someone who knows how to read the Bible between the lines, who is confident he has correctly assessed its true meaning. God’s love helps him to be a good person and to recognize the cosmic value of being a good person, but God’s love is also available to him even when he doesn’t act like a good person. Unlike employees, friends, and family members, God never disappoints—and is never disappointed in—Justin Bieber. In conversation, Bieber alludes often to the fallibility of those closest to him: “I’ve had people that burned me so many times”; “If we invest everything we have in a human, we’re gonna get broken.” God is probably the only person in the universe Bieber can really trust.

“I feel like that’s why I have a relationship with Him, because I need it. I suck by myself. Like, when I’m by myself and I feel like I have nothing to lean on? Terrible. Terrible person. If I was doing this on my own, I would constantly be doing things that are, I mean, I still am doing things that are stupid, but… It just gives me some sort of hope and something to grasp onto, and a feeling of security, and a feeling of being wanted, and a feeling of being desired, and I feel like we can only get so much of that from a human.”

Bieber tells me that dwelling on negativity is “exactly what the Devil wants. He wants us to not be happy. He wants us to, you know, not live the life that we can truly live.”

Check out Justin’s new album, Purpose, featuring hits like Sorry and Love Yourself  (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon). #onrepeat

Chime in for Change

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Chime for Change, founded by Gucci, is asking women everywhere to speak up for change all over the world. The kind of change that benefits girls and women everywhere. “Education. Health. Justice. For every girl. Every woman. Everywhere. Because none of us can move forward if half of us are held back.” Pick a cause and donate to hundreds of projects.

I ran across this initiative soon after I read, “6 simple ways to save the world” in the November issue of Marie Claire via NextIssue on my iPad mine.  Seeing some of the solutions people are coming up with to address women’s issues globally is eye-opening. Here are a few relevant highlights:

#ChimeIn