ON June 30, it hit me that we were completing half of the year and soon the latter half would commence. Do you think it went fast? I certainly think so.I decided to use July 1 as a day of reflection – reflection and the power of the pause. Pausing allows growth to catch up with us and observe where we went wrong or right. I have accomplished a lot in the last six months but nowhere near to what I had anticipated. I was about to be hard on myself for not doing more, but then checked myself to first be thankful for the things I was able to get done.

Gratitude is powerful and we need to constantly practise, no matter what we are going through. In the last six months; I laughed until my belly hurt; cried until I was out of breath; danced as if no one was watching; and experienced love and pain that was so excruciating that I thought my heart would stop.I have experienced some of the deepest valley moments in my life. I survived because I do believe some of our best moments are created in the dark and God has a plan beyond your imagination. Negatives develop in the darkroom and the images are so beautiful. If we look for a silver lining in every dark cloud, that helps us to maintain a positive mindset. The fourth Women in Business Expo, Inspire You and the release of my fifth book, Rising From the Ashes, contributed forewords for two books and receiving an award from United Bridge Builder Mission Inc.

My passion is reignited when I look at the progress the people made who participated in the Confidence Becomes You and Developing the Best You programmes. Those programmes will recommence soon. The first Living with Intention Youth Forum for girls penetrated my heart, because of the testimonies after. I still receive messages telling me about the mindset shift that took place among many young girls. On a personal note, I had more family time and God time that I will treasure forever. While in New York, I caught up with my schoolmate Judy and she was telling me that her sister Joanne who was part of the EXPO has experienced significant growth in her business and her products are in supermarkets now. That is one of the reasons I decided not to be too hard on myself, because you would have contributed something if you made a difference in one person’s life.

How can we do better for this latter half of 2019?
We need to be more intentional about everything we do daily and that was the conversation I was having with my sister Bibi Alli on my day of reflection. We are on similar journeys and it was great to have a discussion on the future. I have a new study bible and will be utilising it more, because I need a deeper understanding of God and the Word. I planned to be focused more on the wildly inspiring goals (WIGs) that will not only benefit me, but others also. Create a weekly blueprint and monitor results. I plan to make family an even bigger part of my life and love like I never did before; eat healthier, drink more water, and workout with a personal trainer. I do have time allotted to prepare my mind, body and spirit for the day, but I need to extend that; embark on a project that scares the hell out of me, be a better listener, be more in the present and clear out distraction. I do manage my time well, but there is always room for improvement. I want to attend one or two more conferences for my personal and business development.

I trust there is something in this column that motivates you to take control of 2019 and make it a success. I will leave you with the words of Arthur Rubinstein: “I have found that if you love life, life will love you back,” as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.