Author: admin

When we think about doing things in our career or personal life often times we want everything to be outlined. We want to know what’s going to happen at the beginning, in the middle and of course we think we know the end result, however that’s not always true. We’re not comfortable making moves until we think the coast is clear. If that’s what you are building your success on, the coast being clear, then you will never be successful. My biggest success stories have come because I stepped out not knowing where the coast would lead me. I knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t know how I would get there. But that didn’t stop me. Not knowing is part of the enthusiasm of getting it done. So, today I challenge you to do something without knowing how it will get done. Put your request out into the universe and take that first step.

Have you noticed that when a storm comes through sometimes it literally wipes out everything in its pathway?  Families are devastated and lives are turned upside down, forcing everyone to create a new life and a different path as a result of the storm.  It is easy to be so fixated on your goals and the path that you plan to take, that you overlook the opportunity that is staring you in the face.  We need to learn how to let our storm become our pathway.  All storms are not setup to take you out.  Some storms are setup to take you further and higher than your infinite vision will allow you to see.  I do my best work under pressure although I prefer not to work that way.  However, when you are able to see God in everything then you learn how to operate in a state of calm while everyone around you are in a state of chaos.  The sooner you learn the lesson the quicker you can get out of the class.  Failure is not an option.  This is not a test.  This is a real emergency and life does not wait for you to get it together!

(Page 60, “Walking in Your Season of Receiving – Seven Steps to Recognizing God When  You Can’t See Him.”)

When I looked at my To-Do List today, I realized that I have only two items and one of them are already crossed off.  Of course, my first thought was, “I have nothing to do!”  So much of who I am as a speaker, writer, and event planner revolves around organizing, planning, implementing and showing up at events and meetings, as well as hanging out with friends.  Now that none of those things are happening my To-Do List has almost dwindled down to a Nothing-to-do-List!  So I decided that I will create a Thoughts List instead because I, like so many others, have a plethora of thoughts running through my mind now that we are in this season of down time.  I have thoughts of sadness, thoughts of joy, thoughts of lack of control, and the main thought, what’s life gonna look like on the other side of this.   The good thing about the Thought List is, there’s no pressure to produce.  You can choose to act on your thoughts during this crisis, after this crisis, or not act at all!  The main thing is to take your thoughts captive so they don’t take you captive.  Don’t panic…find the positive!  It’s all about how you frame your picture.

Who runs the world?  It depends on who you ask.  Several months ago a whole bunch of us thought we did!  As a thirty-four year breast cancer survivor, I was featured in Skirt Magazine, October 2019.  The headline read, “Who Runs The World? – If it’s Geri Mason’s World, Then She Does it Herself!”  I have to admit that, at the time I was really running my world, at least I thought I was.  Several years ago most of you may remember that Beyonce Knowles-Carter wrote the song, “Who Runs The World?,” and she said that it is “girls!”

During my daily meditation I am constantly reminded that we don’t run anything.  There is only one person who runs the world and if you are of the faith community then know that is God Almighty!  Now that the world has stopped spinning, maybe, just maybe, we can take inventory of who we REALLY are and when we get back on we’ll realize how connected we are to each other, and hopefully we will begin to show more compassion and love for our fellowman.  You will be amazed at what God has in store for all of us on the other side of this if we trust and believe.  Don’t Panic…Find the Positive as we continue to acknowledge Who Runs The World!

The advantages of living life one day at a time may be simple.  Here are a couple reasons why.

1. )  Your focus becomes narrowed to what this day may or may not hold.  Your only concern is for the twenty-four hours in front of you. 2)  You alleviate any anxiety about tomorrow, which could easily take away from your enjoyment or accomplishments of today.  3.)  You learn to accept that whatever happens in this day is what needed to happen in this day.  Let tomorrow take care of itself!

I remember when the COVID-19 crisis first started and I tried to cram so much in each day that it created headaches.  I was worried about not doing enough each day, along with worrying about how I would be able to fill all the time we would have by being sheltered in place.  Finally I devised a new system that works for me.  Remember Don’t Panic — Find the Positive, as we continue to navigate this new normal one day at a time.

Fearless can be deceitful.  Many years ago a friend of mine from my hometown called me “fearless” because I moved from Virginia to South Carolina.  I never considered myself fearless.  I was simply doing what I needed to do in order to make a better life for myself.  As a motivational speaker people think that you always have it together.  You have the ability to change lives by your speeches and words of encouragement.  No one really knows the lonely nights and sad days that you spend trying to move from an empty place inside yourself, when life doesn’t turn out the way you planned.  No one sees your tears as you try to go through your daily routine knowing that you are falling apart inside.  Sometimes it’s a small sore because of something beyond your control, but then another thing pops up that causes the scab on that small sore to fester and become worst.  No matter how hard you to try to get back to that “good” space by doing what normally brings peace, there is an unavoidable loss that only the voice of another can heal.  A loss that only a touch from someone else can heal.  A loss that only time will heal.  No!  No one has died.  No one has gone to the hospital.  No one has hit you.  Life has thrown you a curve ball and it seems that all the bases you planned on touching has moved so far away, that you can barely see the short stop or the catcher because of the tears running down your face.  You reach for the phone to call a friend, but you change your mind because you wish they would call you instead.  You turn down holiday parties because you can’t handle the crowd.  Although you want to be with others, on the other hand you don’t want to bring your negative energy to an otherwise happy occasion.  Fearless can be deceitful!

Dreams Are Often in a Place Where we Don’t Look! There are days when I literally feel like the hamster on the wheel, rolling around and around.  As I prepare for yet another annual “Geri Speak” Conference I find myself at that same place of thought as I am every year this time.  I evaluate the stress, the time, the pressure, the madness, the running around in circles, and all that goes into pulling off such a huge event every year.  After the final analysis, I ask myself is it worth it and will I do it again next year.  My answer to both questions every time is a resounding “NO.”  However, somehow I find myself right back in this place again the following year.  So why am I telling you this?  Because I am a writer of truth.  Like I’ve always said before, my life is an open book.

In my pondering this morning I decided to visualize myself without the Annual Conference, and all the other things that I could get done instead.  I have so many dreams of how I want my speaking and writing to appear, but I spend so much time every year on the conference that those dreams end up taking a backseat.  So, today I’m starting to look in the places where I don’t normally look for my dreams.  You should do the same thing.  More than likely the dream that you are seeking is hidden inside something that you do on a regular basis, but you simply need to perfect it.  If we are honest with ourselves we know exactly what we need to do to get to that next level of perfection in whatever we are trying to accomplish.  The trick is that we have to give up something in order to get something else.  We don’t want to do that.  We want to keep it all and that’s not how life works.  It’s always a give and take scenario.  Change is inevitable and change means replacing one thing with another.  The old ways of doing business or life is no longer working for any of us.  Just look at the world around you!  No matter how much you tell yourself that all is well, it’s a scary place to live right now.  But I don’t want to leave you on that sour note, so here is what I recommend:  Search in the deepest parts of your being and find the one thing that brings you the most joy and perfect that, while making sure that you have a healthy life balance, which includes your physical, mental, social, financial, and spiritual well being, because the bottom line is, our dreams are often in a place where we don’t look! 

We think we know all the answers and have every situation covered because we researched and did our due diligence.  However, despite all the time, work and effort that you put in, there will be nights when your dreams will turn into nightmares.  It doesn’t matter that you fasted and prayed and asked God to fix it for you once again.  As soon as one thing gets handled another thing pops up.  It’s a never ending battle it seems.  Life is moving in such a fast- paced mode that you are too busy to handle the inevitable that you know might be down the road.

If you just pump the brakes for a moment, you might find that God has a dream that can interrupt your nightmare.  There have been so many times when God has spoken to me in advance of a crisis and given me my next move.  Although I don’t always know why things happen the way they do I try very hard to stay in touch with that still small voice that guides and protects me daily.  We have a world full of situations and circumstances that can steal our joy if we allow them.  Quiet time and moments of meditation is extremely important in order to live a life of purpose.  Once you realize that we are all connected one way or another, then you will learn to look beyond yourself and see God at work through you and not just for you.  For a very long time my life was all about what I could get from God.  I never saw the connection between me and my fellow man because of the God in me.  Now I know that how I will be remembered, is more important than how many things I collect while here on this earth.  And yes, there will be days when it seems like a nightmare, but God has a Dream That can Interrupt Your Nightmare!