Drop Every Fear

fear

ˈfir/

noun

1. 1. 

   an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

There has been so many things that I put off, and didn't follow through with because of Fear. Fear was the reason I switched majors. Fear was the reason I took Human Anatomy 3 times in college. Fear was the reason I took the Praxis 3 times and didn't pass. Fear if you let it will stop you from achieving goals and living out your purpose. Don't create your own prison of fear caring what other people think of you. How do you see yourself? What do you think about yourself? Thats all that matters.

So many people go through life living inside of their comfort zone because they are afraid of what will be waiting for them the moment they decide to step out of it(that WAS me). I am still evolving and learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I believe that my purpose is to help, love, nurture, and be that listening ear for the younger generation. If you are walking in your purpose, what could you possibly have to be afraid of? You are doing God's work so be confident! Step out of your comfort zone, do those things that everyone said that you couldn't. Do NOT let fear stop you from walking head up, shoulders back through your purpose. Looking back on the things I once feared; If I would've asked for help sooner, or worked a little harder instead of making excuses I wouldn't have had to change my major. If I would've studied harder, went to class everyday and actually took anatomy serious I would've got a B the first time I took it and not the 3rd. I will not dwell or live in regret because those things that I was once afraid of are my testimonies; They make me who I am today. It gives me wisdom and knowledge to minister to others, that whatever you tell yourself you cannot do, you will not do. But if you walk in faith you and talk to yourself in a positive manner, you will overcome everything you once doubted yourself about!

Fear isn't a forever thing, you can overcome fear, you can kick it to the curb. Write down all of your fears and next to them write down how you will overcome them. Its time to stop living in your comfort zone, go out there and do amazing things! Be BOLD, Be BRAVE, Be COURAGEOUS. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, mistakes are proof that you are trying. Humans make mistakes, although some people act like Perfect Patties, we all have made mistakes. What happens after the mistake matters most; will you learn from it so that you don't make the same one, or will you just keep making the same mistake over and over making it a choice.

Fear is keeping you from growing! The moment you step out your comfort zone and stop living in fear you will see so much growth within yourself! Everything you want is on the other side of fear! Don't let it hold you back!

Becoming More Like Ducks

People always ask how I am able to stay calm and positive through obstacle after obstacle! Not only is my faith in God getting stronger with every valley; but I simply "Act Like a Duck"  When I think of this quote I think of the Duck and how rain beads and runs off the ducks back! They don't let the rain get them down, they don't go sit in on a pity party because its raining, they are still pressing forward, because progression and goals are only ahead of us, we won't find them behind us or being complacent. Let the rain from those rainy gloomy days roll off your back and keep pushing forward! 

Remember that the Rainbow comes after the rain, we all need a little rain in our lives every now and then. Gloomy days are okay, mistakes are okay, bad days are okay! You need those in your life so when you see the next person going through the same situation, you can help them and minister to them. Be the person that loves to help others up off the ground because you've been there before and you know whats its like and how much you needed someone to help you up. 

A Duck is also smoothly moving across the top of the water, what you don't see is how hard the Duck is moving underneath the water! It is not easy to keep calm with everything seems to be going wrong, I know naturally you just want to fall to the floor, throw a tantrum and wait for someone to come pick you up and tell you everything will be okay. Well heres the thing, for every brick wall you hit; there won't be a person there  assuring you that everything will be alright. Sometimes you just have to pick yourself up and keep pressing on! ACT LIKE A DUCK, I'm sure the Duck faces many obstacles but that doesn't stop a duck from working so hard to reach its destination(Goal). There will be times when you want to give in and give up, but DONT. You will lose focus of your goals worrying about obstacles and issues which causes you to paddle aimlessly instead of paddling to progression! Living aimless in life is definitely dangerous, you don't know where you're going, where you want to go, or even who you are at that moment. So stay on track, set goals, stay committed and stay FOCUSED! Never let an obstacle take you out, instead keep pressing forward and working so hard that you have no choice but to succeed and make people wonder how you did it with so much adversity thrown at you! 

Its Time to be like Elsa

Everyone is familiar with Elsa, if not she is the star in the movie frozen and all the little children love the song "Let it Go" I believe that in life there are several things that you will have to let go of to live a positive and healthy lifestyle.

The first thing that I believe you should let go of is things that are out of your control. There are some things that you can control and then there are those things that you cannot control. You can't control how people are and what they do or don't say. You cant control how they treat you, but you can control how you react. Trying to control things that you cannot control is very unhealthy. You become frustrated, angry, bitter, and upset at things that you cannot control. When you should focus on those things that you can control, focus on the positive things, focus on the things that matter. You control your attitude and your outlook on things in life. Things  that you think you control that you cannot are simply holding you back in life, let them go and you will feel so much better! You will feel like you are floating on clouds. 

Let go of the past. Yes everyone has a past, everyone has been through quite a few things I assume. you can't sit and mope and dwell in your past and all the bad things associated with it. What you can do is let go of the past and focus on the future, focus on becoming a better you, focus on making better choices, focus on not making the same mistakes again. Although  in life I want you to know, its okay to make mistakes, mistakes are proof that you are trying and that you are learning. Whats done is done and there is no changing that, let your past make you BETTER not bitter! 

Let go of Life expectations and frustrations. You can create your own reality I truly believe in that. But some people have this picture in their mind based off of society on how their life is supposed to be. I want you to know that if you expect something that is not in Gods plan for you, thats  a failure waiting to happen. Ask God to order your footsteps and walk in faith.  Of course we all have goals that we want to accomplish, the frustration comes when you don't complete those goals in the time frame you wanted. Ive been there before; actually several times. I just believe that what I wanted, wasn't meant for me, at that time! Whats for you will always be for you and it will not pass you by. 

Just LET IT GO!! Be happy, being happy takes effort! Be you, accept your past and move on, don't let anyone hold you to the person you USE to be! Improve yourself everyday.  Let go of things you cant control or they will control you in a negative way.

Communicating Effectively

I believe that this is one of the most important things to learn while teaching behind connections and relationships. It all goes hand in hand, if you connect with your students and form relationships you will learn how to effectively teach and talk to them. I noticed that when I get frustrated and use a high voice with my 2 year olds they don't really listen or they just run versus when I get down to their level and tell them that what they're doing makes me sad or that their friends are upset by their actions. Then Ive noticed they will take a different route and go read a book or do something quiet.

I have the links to a few articles below that I loved about communicating with your students!

• http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/01/12/how-changing-the-way-you-talk-to-kids-can-change-your-classroom-culture 
• http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/NEA_E-BookFall2012.pdf
• http://www.educationandbehavior.com/get-your-students-motivated/

I hope these articles help you out in same way that they've helped me!

Habit is what keeps you going

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar 



Getting motivated is never the problem, staying motivated is. I know this from experience, I think of something and all the possibilities that come with it, I'm extremely motivated, then days later I'm like whatever. I have to agree with Jim Ryun when he says "Motivation is what gets you started, Habit is what keeps you going" Your habits and decisions make you who you are and who you will be. Make it a habit to think positive, make it a habit to read more, make it a habit to think and do things that will elevate you higher. Motivation comes with change, it doesn't have to be all at once, it can be slow and gradual but it has to be done. 

I wanted to share with you some things that keep me motivated throughout the day! 

1. The Confident Woman Devotional App by Joyce Meyer.
 This app taps into things that trouble women daily, it helps you to realize that you are a strong, confident woman and that you must first love yourself. It gives you daily tools to address and solve problems. I have had this app for almost 2 years and I believe that it is amazing! I check it every morning for inspiration to start my day with positive thoughts. Every lesson can be applied to anything you are growing through, whether it be intimate relationships, family/friend relationships, or a relationship with yourself. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/confident-woman-devotional/id404880310?mt=8

2. The Sprinkle of Jesus App
 I recently downloaded this app and I instantly loved it! It gives General, men, and women alerts. They pop up randomly throughout the day and it is very inspiring and encouraging http://www.sprinkleofjesus.com

3. Eric Thomas
Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker, I follow him on Instagram and his post are always encouraging and makes you want to get up and grind like no other. His story is also amazing, he doesn't forget where he has came from, or what got him to where he is today! He uses that as his platform and people love him for it! Follow him on IG if you want to fill your newsfeed up with Inspiration. He also has his own website where he has tons of stuff to get and keep you motivated
http://etinspires.com

4. Reyna Biddy 
I just so happened to stumble upon her twitter account one day and fell in love with the words she wrote. She has her own book out now called I Love My Love. She inspires women to love themselves so deeply, that you will never accept less than you deserve. She lets you know that its okay to be hurt, but its not okay to stay hurt, she talks about her hurt and how anyone can get through a broken heart. She also uplifts and encourages women, if you're looking for something to help you gain your confidence back or to start loving yourself more; follow her on her social media sites and you won't be disappointed! 
@DearYoufromWe (Twitter)
@ReynaBiddy (IG)
@Reyna Biddy (tumblr)

Whenever I'm feeling discouraged or not motivated I made it a habit to take time out and seek encouragement and motivation from the apps and people listed above! What are your habits that keep you going?

You Are a Queen

  "Think like a queen, a queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness"- Oprah Winfrey 

This is totally off subject of the usual education posts, but I believe that every girl/woman should know that she is a queen. 

As Oprah said failure is another stepping stone to a greatness, just because you fail at something dosent mean that you give up, you fail at something and you get right back up and keep going.  

Not every girl is told that she is beautiful or this she is a queen when she is younger, and even if she is; sometimes society takes you by the hand and makes you think otherwise. In every woman there is a queen. First step to being a queen is loving yourself! Love yourself so deeply that when someone else comes along trying to love you, you won't settle for anything less than what you deserve. You should learn to validate yourself because if not you will be searching for validation in every person you meet. I believe that a queen embraces her flaws and uses those as stepping stones to create a better version of herself. Flaws are okay, society, peers, and people in general will have you feeling like if you have flaws you're nothing. Thats negative, I believe that flaws are what you make them, you can dwell in them, you can try to change them, you can embrace them and accept you for who you are and move towards a better you. Flaws are probably one of the biggest weapons that you will have thrown at you, so accept them ahead of time and it won't phase you when others bring them up. A queen doesn't try to compete with other queens, we are all different and unique in several ways. As women I think its stupid that we (I've been there) try to put other women down as if we aren't all defending ourselves against the same stereotypes everyday. Uplift one another and encourage one another to show more positive images of women, rather than whats been portrayed on reality TV and social media every second of every day. There is nothing wrong with encouraging and congratulating another woman, I promise it won't block your blessings or make you any less of a woman. 

 

As a queen you should know that you are enough and change any thought that says you aren't. You are GOOD enough, you are SMART enough, you are STRONG enough, and BEAUTIFUL enough. I believe that a queen believes in improvement, yes we accomplish goals and we grow through tough times, but Im a strong believer that there is always room for improvement, not for the next person but to be better than you were yesterday, or even 2 seconds ago. A queen should put God at the center of everything she does because as Psalm 46:5 states "God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day." Whatever you put out into the world will come back to you. A queen should put positive vibes, words, and thoughts out into the universe and all those things will come back to you.  you may already know these things, or maybe you don't; this is a reminder to wear your invisible crown.... every day!

Connections and Relationships

I believe that connections with your students should be the most important goal as teacher. There is a saying "You can't teach what you don't know and who you don't know" You should make it a priority to get to know each one of your students on a personal level. Even as a two year old teacher, I know what makes every one of my kids happy, sad, angry, or any other emotion. Children respect you more when you show that you care about their well being! You learning your students, gives them a chance to also learn you and what triggers your emotions. When you try to give commands or demands to a child that you haven't earned that trust from, its harder to get through to them because they don't feel safe and secure just yet; I see that daily.

Show your students that you care ask them about their morning, how was their weekend, what do they like to do, do they like music, what do they like to play. All those things can even be incorporated into your way of teaching to grasp and keep attention. 

You always want to treat you students with respect. You get what you put out, so if you give respect you will receive it in return. Don't be so quick to always yell, use a kind voice with them. Speak to your students and address them by name or nicknames. Make them feel good about themselves, of course you don't want to be a pushover but try not to always point out the bad in students. There is something good to be said about each student. When they get something right, praise them and let them know how proud of them you are. I believe that every child wants to hear those words; "I am proud of you" is more powerful than you think. I listened to a podcast( Talks With Teachers) on those 5 words and it was very inspiring. With my two year olds when they do something right I tell them to kiss their brain and you would think they just won the lottery how happy it makes them. You have to instill intrinsic motivation in your students, as teachers you have such a huge impact on your students so make it a positive impact! You also never know what a student is dealing with at home, another very important reason to build relationships. They might not get encouragement and positive vibes at home, so while at school its crucial that they get all of that plus an education. Getting to know your students also means you get to know how they learn. Of course every student won't learn the same way, and you might not be able to incorporate each way in one day but try to do one learning style a day; Im sure it will be super beneficial. 

Learn your students, then you can teach them!