Anybody who has ever gone out with me knows, I love to keep the party going. Life is a party because its exactly what you make it.  You get out of it what you put in, just like life. I’m not worried about whose going to the party because I am the party! Wherever I am, that’s where the party is.  The reason I party so hard is because I’m determined to enjoy life, and make it the best party I can.

I’ve overcome a lot in life, so every time I party I’m celebrating a new triumph.  I’ve been through depression, suicidal thoughts, heartbreak, poverty, abandonment, and insecurity.  My story is no different than anyone else’s.  We’ve all overcome some things in our lives, which is why we should celebrate every chance we get.  You’ve been through so much and you’re still here.  Celebrate that, celebrate yourself and your accomplishments. I enjoy life by partying because I love people and I love to socialize. It’s not about the music and alcohol because you can still have a great party without getting faded. We’ve got to enjoy life while we can. Enjoy life anyway you choose. For me it’s partying, what is it for you? Is it traveling, writing, spending time with family, trying new things or treating yourself? Whatever it is make sure you enjoy doing it.

Enjoy life! Enjoy the people around you.  Enjoy every high and low you experience.  Every new high and low brings a new lesson.  Take time to honor yourself, you deserve it for everything you’ve been through. I’m determined to make life the best party I can and trust me I’m keep partying till I cant party no more. Come enjoy the party with me.

Lately we’ve all been captivated by the comedian Mo’nique’s call to boycott Netflix. She is claiming that Netflix was gender and color bias towards her. In her words they offered her an amount of money that was well below what she was worth. Different people have offered their opinions on the situation. Most believing that because Mo’nique has not dropped a comedy special in a long time, she’s not worth what she is asking for. That instead of calling for a boycott she should just take her talents somewhere else. Netflix isn’t the end all be all of streaming services. I think it’s a little bigger than that. I believe what this all boils down to is Value. Mo’nique believes she is valuable so she’s only asking for what she’s worth. You see this situation and what Mo’nique is trying to fight for is much bigger than Netflix, it’s about knowing your value and fighting for what you believe you are worth. Her situation pertains to business, but I’m going to tell you how we fight for the same thing in all of our relationships.

The word value has many definitions. Webster’s has three different definitions for Value:First, relative worth, merit, or importance. Second, monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade. Third, the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of some medium of exchange. All three of these definitions pertain to Mo’nique’s situation. First she believes she is worth more than 500K based on her resume as an actress and comedian. Secondly, she believes her monetary worth is at least a couple of million dollars. Third, she believes her comedy would bring in views for Netflix, in turn views equal money. Simply her views could be exchanged for money. I can’t say I agree with Mo’nique’s business tactics, but I applaud her for knowing her value and then fighting for it.

Do you fight for your value in your relationships? All of them, work, love, friends, and business? Valuable things tend to be treated very nicely or with the utmost care. The perceived value is high so you don’t want to damage it. For instance, driving a Benz on special occasions, but having a Sentra for your everyday commute. The reason gold prices go up and down is because gold is a rare commodity. Think of yourself as that commodity. If the people in your relationships don’t treat you like they value you, than 7/10 times they don’t. The other 3 times they just might not know how to treat you like they value you.

For example a man who values a women doesn’t beat her every time he gets up set. That would be like smashing your Benz every time you missed a turn. A women who values a man doesn’t talk bad about him when he falls short of her expectations. That would be like breaking your gold necklace every time it didn’t look the way you wanted it too with a particular outfit. A friend who values you doesn’t take advantage of you. They share hardships and wins with you. A coworker who values you doesn’t try to dump their work off on you or take advantage of your skill set. They share ideas with you and you all grow the company together as a team.

Know your value and be willing to demand what you are worth. Also, you must be willing to stand fast and not waiver. You can compromise when you see fit, but you can’t sell yourself short.

I attended a vision board party on Sunday and it really got me to thinking. This was the first time I had ever done a vision board, but I also had no idea what my vision was for 2018. I wrote down my goals and came up with this. I know it’s simple and not very artistic, but it speaks to my vision for 2018. I’m dubbing 2018 The Big Five. I will be focusing on 5 major areas of my life this year.

1. Breakthrough

2017 was a bit of a struggle for me. I was challenged with so many things, and I want to have a major breakthrough this year. I was challenged with depression, contemplated suicide, emptiness, and alcoholism. 2018 will be a break though year for me. I am determined to change my mindset therefore altering my perspective and realizing that I have something to live for. I will defeat these challenges in 2018.

2. Being Me

I think so often people are afraid to truly be themselves because they are afraid of what people will think. In 2018, I’m moving past that. For so many years I hid my thoughts and feelings because I felt like no one cared and people wouldn’t understand. This year I’m working on just sharing my thoughts because I feel like I have knowledge and wisdom that really might help someone. I’m also going to work on improving myself, starting from the inside and working my way out.

3. Education

My life’s purpose is to educate and inspire people. In 2018 I’m determined to live and work in that purpose. Whether that be working in education, or taking my speaking and presentations to the next level. It’s up to me to live my purpose and this year I’m going to work towards it.

4. Love

I’m not expecting to find the love of my life this year lol, but I have some things to work on. I’ll be 30 this year and it would be nice to find my life partner, but I can’t find her if I don’t love myself first. In 2018 I want to work on loving myself and feeling like I am somebody worth loving.

5. Content Creator

I was blessed with a message and some great ideas. In 2018 I’m determined to be more consistent with the content I create and produce. I have some amazing ideas that I’m going to begin working on so that I can bring them to fruition. I was blessed with a message and I will inspire people. Be on the look out because this year Visionary Presentations will be going to the next level. Please check out my blogs, podcasts, presentations, and YouTube videos. Visionary Presentations, Changing lives one message at a time.

As fall comes around and the weather changes we realize the season is changing. Fall is coming in. Leaves falling always makes me think of the old analogy; some people in your life are branches and some are leaves. Some people are meant to be a main stay in your life while others are only meant to be around for a season.

Sometimes God tells you to remove people from your life in order to make room for someone else. This can be difficult because you may think this person is a branch when they are meant to be a leaf. It can be hard letting a person go at times. Whether it be because you really love them, you all have such a rich history, or you just think that they bring so much to your life. What ever the case may be, you have to know when to let them go.

I learned the hard way when a person shows you how they feel about you believe them. We can be so blinded by our feelings that we can’t see that the feelings aren’t being reciprocated. I had a situation where this person showed me on numerous occasions how she felt about me. I loved her so much, and because of my feelings towards people I didn’t want to believe it. Her actions showed me that she didn’t feel the same way about me, and it hurt to let her go.

It hurts when you really love a person and they cut you off cold. You go from talking 2-3 times a week to being blocked. Having your calls, messages, and text ignored, but seeing them post to their social media. It’s a tough thing, but it could be God telling you this person is a leaf not a branch in your life. Let the leaves fall. Thats the beautiful thing about leaves. Even though they fall every season, new leaves come in and bloom even more beautiful than the ones that fell. Let that person go because an even more beautiful and deserving person is coming into your life.