Category: Blog

Photo by Kamil Pietrzak on Unsplash

There are levels and degrees to almost everything in life, and it takes effort and concentration to acquire or excel in most areas.  Some of us want to get to the other side of happiness, peace, joy, love or accomplishment, however we fail to realize that it takes preparation to propel!  Think about it.  Before you jump out of a plane there is some preparation that has to be done to make sure that you land safely.  You might watch some videos for training purposes or to get a feel of what to expect.  Also someone needs to strap your parachute and make sure it is properly secured and that you know when & how to prepare for your landing.  A few other examples are rock climbing, scaling a building, or zip lining.  None of these things are done without being prepared to propel!

Photo by Piotr Chrobot on Unsplash

Are you creating lines or just in one?  I saw this statement on an Instagram post by Adam Speaks and I asked his permission to elaborate on it.  With that said, let me ask you again, “Are you creating lines or just in one?”  I don’t really recall all that he said because I knew I would put my own spin on it.  We live in a world of supply and demand and we need to take advantage of both.  However, nobody wants to be on the demand end all the time with stuff going out and nothing coming in.  Although both scenarios are important, as business owners we need to make sure that we are spending more time creating lines rather than being in one.  Make sure that people are lining up to purchase your products or services rather than standing in lines yourself, waiting to purchase somebody else’s products or services.

So how do we make this happen?  There are numerous ways, but the one that caught my eye the other day from Ciara Patterson, was her suggestion that we reach out to previous clients to let them know that we remember them and appreciate their business.  Also, at that same time it is very appropriate to ask them if they would like to purchase your products or use your services again.  Well, I did just that and contacted twenty of my Sponsors who purchased my service over the last six months, and immediately three of those people came back on board.  In addition, since I immediately advertised and thanked them for coming back, I received two additional sponsors because they saw those posts.  This goes to show the power of not only showing up but also acknowledging those who have supported you in the past.  Are you creating lines or just in one?

 

 

 

Are you walking the dog or the dog walking you?  There may be days when you literally feel like the dog is walking you.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a large dog for this to happen.  It all depends on how much tension is in the leash and whether or not you are in control.  Even a small dog can take over and lead you astray if you are not paying attention.  Maybe he/she sees a cat and decides to chase it while you are so busy talking on your cellphone.  All it takes is one little distraction to throw you off course.  We need to keep our eyes on the prize whether it’s large or small.  Remember that big things may come in small packages.  These past months have taken a toll on us in so many ways, however, we have also grown in many ways beyond what we thought was capable.  We doubted our ability to sustain our relationships, our businesses, and our home.  But we did it!  We walked the dog rather than allow the dog to walk us.  Keep up the good work!  “Don’t Panic…Find The Positive!”  It’s always there if you just look hard enough.

Photo Credit: @CDC

Covid-19 Vaccine – For or against? Everyone has the right to make the best decision that they feel comfortable with.  As a sixty-six year old female working in the healthcare environment, I opted to get my Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it became available. My decision was based on a couple of things; first I would rather die trying to live and avoid the virus than die from the virus.  Secondly, if my participation in taking the vaccine will give researchers the necessary information in order to determine whether or not this is a viable answer to stop the virus, and possibly give my children and my grandchildren a better opportunity of never having to worry about it, then I will have served the greater purpose of my life.  I fully understand and respect the controversy and concerns surrounding the vaccine, and  those who prefer to wait and see how others  will react to the shot, rather than participate as part of the research, while millions of us jump on board without FDA approval of the vaccine.

 

 

 

The power of family!  If you were among the 300,000 customers who lost Power during the 2001 holiday season, yet you celebrated Christmas, then your holiday took on new meaning.  I was in the number, but thank God I already had my priorities in place.  As the weatherman called for rain and sleet, my only concern was getting my sister in town before the storm hit.  I had convinced her to come to Richmond Virginia and share Christmas with us, because we were not celebrating the traditional way.  God had blessed us with a new home just before the holiday, therefore money was tight.  In talking with my sister, I learned that she wasn’t doing a lot for Christmas either because she had lost her job.  So I figured why not have birds of a feather flock together.  To make it easier for her to say yes, we arranged to have her picked up.  As the storm hit, my only concern was my sister’s safety.  There were no last minute details to take care of, or last minute shopping to do.  Just cooking and anticipation of the arrival of my sister.  As I watched the news, I realized that there are so many people who are missing the true spirit of the holiday.  Folks were all over the place braving the weather on Christmas Eve to get that last minute shopping in.  Considering the conditions, what could have been more important than being with loved ones?  Any gift that was not already purchased could have waited.

After the holiday came and went, I found myself talking with people about how different this Christmas was for me.  Being forced to stay with relatives and friends during the most important time of the year.  The true meaning of Christmas was thrust upon us as we shared in love what we had, with no Christmas tree and very few presents, and little money.  But we had each other, and everyone brought to the table what was necessary to make the holiday a blessing in spite of our circumstances.  I firmly believe that God is showing us in more ways than we realize that He is going to have the last word, by any means necessary!  Because He is the ultimate Power!

 

 

We are all navigating this “New Normal” and doing the best that we can with what we have.  As we approach the holiday season many of us are asking the question, “Joy now or joy later?”  Do we attend gatherings outside our home or do we count our blessings and be thankful for the people who live in our space?  I’ve never done a lot of celebrating for Thanksgiving, but I do love Christmas and will definitely miss my annual Do-Drop-In at my place.  This is my once a year opportunity to make and share with my family and friend, all the delicious recipes that I love.

Joy now or joy later?  For me the decision was very easy to make although I have friends who have invited me to their family gatherings.  I’ve opted to relinquish my joy now for the joy of seeing my immediate family next year.  These past eight months have impacted me in numerous ways but the most profound has been the value of family.  I fully understand and respect that this is a personal decision for everyone.  I am considered an elderly woman in the age range that makes me part of the “vulnerable population.”  In addition I have an immune system that is easily weaken as a result of breast cancer many years ago.  My joy during this holiday season will have to come from within!

Watching or Not?  It’s a Sunday evening before the 2020 Presidential Election and I’m sitting here preparing a speech for my monthly event, when I decided to check my emails and ran across a post from O’ Magazine.  The topic of discussion was, “Where do you plan to be on election night versus where you were in 2016?”  My God!  Do I remember where I was in 2016?  At the time I had Cable TV and I was glued to CNN until the final verdict was reached.  This was nothing new to me, since I had been watching CNN for the past eight years while President Obama was in office, but this night I was up til 4:00am.  However, a week after the 2016 election I cancelled my cable because from that day forward I refused to allow the media, in any form, to take up that much space in my mind, especially with such a drastic outcome.  I have to admit that I was devastated and living alone did not help.

So what about this November 3rd?  Where will I be?  Will I watch the Election?  Yes I will.  However, I did take the following day off just to detox and not have to talk to anyone about the outcome no matter what happens.  Will I be devastated if my party doesn’t win?  Of course not!  This time around I did not allow myself to become so invested in the political process to the point where my ability to function is based on the outcome.  For the past four years I have depended on God and He has not failed me yet!  I will continue to put my sole trust in Him and Him alone.  So no matter what happens on Tuesday, November 3rd I’ll be alright and so will you.

 

 

I’ve been a caregiver for over twenty years and recently I was sitting with my client who has a bird feeder at his window.  On this particular day the birds kept going to the empty holes at the top of the feeder rather than the last hole at the bottom where the food was located.  My client says to me as we are watching, “They keep going to the top because they don’t realize that the food is at the bottom.”  Immediately a light bulb went off in my head and I thought to myself, the birds are so accustomed to going to the top where the food is overflowing, that when it moves to the bottom they get confused.  As human beings we are the exact same way.  God has told us and has shown us that a lot of times what we need is at the bottom, and sometimes we might have to go to “rock bottom” to get what He has for us and to perform at the level that He wants us to perform.  When you look at the way society is right now, the people at the top are the ones who are hurting the most because they have more to lose.  For people like me and others, we know what it’s like to hit “rock bottom.”  We know how to switch gears when things are not always going and rocking and rolling at the top level, so we don’t suffer as bad.  The pain that we feel is different than the pain of the people at the top, because they have gotten accustomed to going to the top, being at the top, and recognized at the top for who they are and what they have.

Sometimes we are like that little bird who doesn’t know how to go to the bottom where the food has fallen because we are familiar with getting our food from the top!  But what happens when it’s all gone at the top?  You do like those little birds and eventually realize that you need to go to the bottom to get fed.  So don’t feel bad if you are at the bottom right now because God is preparing you to feed where He has the food. Don’t lose faith while we are in this pandemic! God will propel you back to the top.

Who’s responsible for getting back to you?  If you can’t sell it why should I buy it?  Every “No” that you get is bringing you closer to your “Yes.”  Never give up until you have exhausted all avenues that are available to you for closing the deal.  A “No” is a “No” until it’s a “Yes!”

As business owners sometimes it can be hard to determine when to stop asking.  But the most important question I find myself dealing with is, “Who’s responsible for the ‘I’ll get back to you’?”  Recently I expressed an interest in a product/service that was offered on a Zoom call and I promised to get back to the person once I returned from my weekend trip.  Well, as life would have it when I returned on the following Monday, everything that I had scheduled for the week needed to be updated because of a work situation that completely changed.  Naturally, I did not get back with that person!  I saw my note but it was no longer a priority and I soon forgot about it as the week went along.  By Friday, I noticed a post on Facebook by them about something totally unrelated to our conversation, but then I remembered that I had failed to get back to them.  That’s when the question became, “Who’s responsible for the ‘I’ll get back to you’?”  The bottom line I decided is the person who’s selling the product/service!

 

Homemade Media on Unsplash

I was already in Pivot mode before the word became a household conversation and God put everyone else there. In March 2020 I knew that Geri Speak would no longer be what it used to be and I would be showing up on social media and in person differently. I had no idea how different that would end up being as I put plans and people in place for the “Geri You Don’t Know!” Once Covid-19 hit everyone found themselves tied to their devices and adapting to a new normal, something I also spoke about in 2019 without knowing what was about to hit us.

I have been sharing my personal stories of triumph for over thirty years, and is really good at bringing others together in the process. Recently I realized that the one thing we all counted on in the past, which was face-to-face events, had suddenly disappeared. Although I am very comfortable with social media and going live occasionally I was not looking forward to this new endeavor, because I depended on face-to-face audiences to fuel my passion. Nevertheless, I jumped right in and before long I was going live every day for over two months, doing what I called, “Purpose Positivity.” This became overwhelming with not enough time for preparation, in addition to trying to find something positive to say every day during such a sad occasion for the world. So I dropped everything and decided to go silent for awhile and seek God for advice. During my silence “Out The Box,” my current monthly show on Facebook LIVE every second Saturday of the month was birthed. It initially started because I wanted to share the message that God had given me from the 2020 Annual Conference, which was cancelled because of Covid. “Out The Box” ended up being such a huge success that it has become a monthly, Raw, Real, and Unique Facebook LIVE experience from my Geri Speak Studio, or wherever I happen to be on the second Saturday of each month. There will always be surprises along the way.  Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I am a 35-yr breast cancer survivor, this third episode on October 10, 2020, will highlight Intimacy, Breast Cancer, and Celibacy.