The Answer Key

The Answer Key: Staying in Pursuit of Your Passion

Many of us may never truly live up to our potential because of fear and insecurity. The uncertainty of the future is almost always a culprit, but at the end of the day, you passion, your drive, your ambition will bring to you all of your dreams. While it may take time and experiences, some of which may be failures, you will find find your truest desire, your passion buried underneath. Don't be afraid of it. Welcome the clarity into your life, and chase your dream. This takes me back to a few years ago. My husband and I were newlyweds and expecting our first baby. I was up late one night and got sucked into a real estate infomercial. I actually learned a little bit, but more than anything, I found myself a little discouraged. How could we ever afford to buy a house? We both have student loans, no capital, no savings and a baby on the way. It was an distant goal at the time. Without dwelling on too many of the details, despite the doubt and fear (some of which was not even our own)

The Answer Key: Choose You

Every event, circumstance, and trial comes with one thing, a choice. You always have a choice. How you choose to respond, react, or let them impact your life is entirely up to you. We all have had our share of heartaches, disappointments, and pain brought on us by ourselves or others, but what will you do with that? How will you make that experience make you better? The choice is always yours. At the end of the day, only you can make a positive out of a negative. Make the choices that benefits you the most. Take heed to whatever your situation is meant to teach you, make a choice that uplifts you, and do better when you are ever faced with the same adversity. Sometimes things happen to us because we have not made the choice to make the best choice for us individually in that situation. Your actions and reactions are always up to you. You can not control every situation, but you certainly can control how you react to it. At one time, a time I am not proud of, I unknowingly allowed o

The Answer Key: Hate On, Hater...

Once upon a time I actually would entertain the nonsense that haters spewed about me. Unfortunately, I've even deemed it necessary to defend myself against it. I suppose, sometimes it may have hurt my feelings a  or angered me, but as I have gotten older, and maybe as I have taken more than one opportunity to show and prove my haters wrong, I have embraced the ideal that I am who I subscribe to and not what anyone else labels me. Nobody knows me better than myself, so if I am honest with myself, acknowledging and accepting all that I am including my flaws and room for improvement, there is very little room left for anyone's opinion to really matter.  When people think that making the most of their time is used by trash-talking someone, you better believe that person is so sad, so disappointed, so burdened by the lack luster in their own life and the grand-slam of their own trials, flaws, and failures that at the end of their day, you are all they have, and that is a shame. Fe

Have you ever had a sense that someone was not as happy for you as they seemed? While they were clearly making an effort to put on a happy face, you could tell that their words were disingenuous and more in the name of political correctness than true happiness. Certainly they did not hope for your misfortune, but their joy is faker than a 2 dollar diamond. Try as they may, you can feel the difference. Why is it so difficult for some to share in another's joy? Sometimes people can become disconnected from another's joy because of their own aspiration. Their desires, goals, or lack there of, can cloud their appreciation for the blessings in someone elses life. Avoid this pitfall at all costs. Life is a journey, not a race. It does not matter how quickly you have, achieve, or succeed, but only that you do so in your own time. Forcing yourself to live by someone else's scale may bring you what you want, but it's longevity will be limited. Having an appreciation for the ble