My New Book These Quotes Are For You By Barbara Clay

Copyright © 2017 Barbara Clay

I am really excited to announce that I have written my first book. Right now I am in the editing stage and I will be finished really soon. 

My book is about my top favorite 25 quotables to help you live your best life. This book is not just a list of quotes. For added value, I added my own insight on how you can use the quotes in your daily life. My hope and prayer is that this book will give fresh new ideas on how to live your best life. 

The art work that is in the book is all original art done by me 26 in total including the cover. If you see a quote that you love you will be able to purchase a poster that you can hang on your wall and enjoy for years to come.

This is one of my favorite chapters in the book. Please leave a review and let me know how you like it and stay tuned for more to come. 

Copyright © 2017 Barbara Clay

Buy all my artwork HERE

I am the Master of my fate. I am the Captain of my soul.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. Now is all there is. 

In the last chapter of this book, I talked about faith and how faith is knowing what you want and certain that you will receive it. I also talked about having faith in yourself. Faith in yourself is all about knowing who you are and knowing who you want to to be. It is about being confident in what you know you can do just like Micheal Phelps and many other great successful people. In growing to who we want to be I learned that we should always strive for mastery. Mastery in one thing should be what pushes us and motivate us every day. Understand that mastery is a marathon, not a sprint.

I remember a story my husband told me one day when I was feeling discouraged because I didn't feel like I was where I wanted to be with my life. I love art but at that time I felt like a failure. I will never forget what he told me. He told me a story of the Kings Apprentice. He said “One day a king took a piece of jade to a master craft smith only to find out by his apprentice that he died. So he asked the young apprentice if he could carve a great masterpiece from it. The apprentice took the jade and said, “Ok I will create something amazing for the king”. Five years passed and the king went to the apprentice and asked for the jade. The apprentice said that the jade was not yet ready and he needed more time. The king said,  “I will give you a little more time”. Another five years passed. The king went to the apprentice and asked to see the jade. The apprentice apologized and told the king the jade is still not ready yet and he needed more time. Reluctantly the king gave the apprentice more time. 

Another five years passed the king filled with anger went to the apprentice and furiously said “I have waited 15 years for my jade sculpture. I want my jade right now.” The apprentice who was now a master calmly went and got the raw piece of jade and sat it on a table in front of the king. He then sat down and began to masterfully cut the jade. Every cut he made was perfect. Within a few minutes, the apprentice masterfully crafted the jade into a beautiful work of art. So beautiful it made the king cry. In tears, the king asked, “Why did I have to wait 15 years for something so beautiful and so amazing you made in just a few minutes?” The apprentice said, “When you gave me the jade I never cut jade before and it took me 15 years to master”.

After my husband told me that amazing story he said to me “Barbara don't worry about how long it takes you to get to where you want to go. Keep doing what you are doing and one day you will percent your gifts before kings and queens”. I smiled and asked will I also make them cry like the apprentice? He laughed and said NOO... Well maybe. He then lovingly brushed my face with his fingers and made me smile. I got up and continued to work on my art filled with purpose.

Take Action

What you do today can bring you before kings and queens. Let mastery of your goals and dreams be what motivates you every day. Every day you should be doing something that you love to do and something you really want to master. Don't let a day go by without you doing something that you love to do. 

We don't have to be like Micheal Phelps. Even if you just spend an hour a day on mastering what you love you will be a master a lot faster than a person who is not spending any time at all mastering anything. Remember mastery is not a marathon, it's a sprint. History has shown that your gift will take you before Kings and Queens so take action right now to do what you love and let mastery be your guide.   

The most powerful lesson you can ever learn to live your best life

The mindset of dissatisfaction and distraction, the reality of never having or being enough effects every facet of our lives.

One day I saw my husband a little upset. I asked him what was wrong and he said “Every time I try to focus I feel like I am being pulled in every direction”. I said that is because you are looking at your problems all at one time. I'm ok, the church is ok, the house is ok. You don't have to do anything that you do not want to do right now. Right now at this moment, everything is ok. Don't allow everything to overwhelm you. Only focus on the things that you have absolute control over right now in this present moment and let go of everything else.

He immediately relaxed and was calm. What was interesting was that the next day he got some great ideas to handle all of the stress that he was facing and he is very happy right now.

We all have these moments of doubt, fear and the feeling of being pulled in the opposite direction. Many times we only see our dissatisfaction and distractions so much so we can't see a way through the fog. By letting go of dissatisfaction and focusing only on the present moment you free up mental space to see a way through any situation. Does this mean you have to be happy all the time? No, but letting go of your dissatisfaction and your attachment to the outcome will open up doors you can't even imagine.

The best way to let go of dissatisfaction and worry is the remind yourself where your source of supply comes from. For me, my source of supply comes from God. Everything that I have, all my needs and all my gifts come from God and I know that He wants me to succeed. I remind myself of this every single day when I wake up and right before I go to bed.

Reminding yourself that something greater than yourself is working things out for you will free you from anxiety, doubt, and fear because you are not just depending on yourself you are depending on something greater than yourself. You must first learn to let go. Even God can't fill a cup that is already full.

-Start by letting go just a little each day and work your way up to letting go the whole day. Even letting go just a little makes more room for greater things to come.

-Remind yourself that the source greater than yourself is working thing out for you and trust that He will do what He said He will do.

-Now that you have let go, get active and be passionate about your goals. Making small changes in your life can make a huge difference in your life. The time for talking and wishing things was better is over. What small steps can you take right now to make things better for yourself and others? Think about it for a moment then take those actions right now.

The greatest lesson you can learn is to have the serenity to accept the things you can not change, have the courage to change the things you know you can and gain wisdom to know the difference.

Let things go so you can grow.

If you need help in finding ways to let go please contact me on FB and I will be more than happy to help.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

Being True To Yourself Is Absolute Bravery

Being true to yourself is an act of rebellion especially when others want you to be something else

– Barbra Clay

Last year I wrote an article titled Being Yourself Is Absolute Bravery and today I thought back to that article because it still applies today. When I was thinking about this time of uncertainty and what we really need now to get through these uncertain times the first thing that popped into my mind is that we really need to be true to ourselves. No matter what is going on in this world being true to ourselves will be our saving grace in the end because our time on this earth is short. If you don't say it now it may never get said. If you don't do what you love now it may never get done. Being true to yourself is an absolute necessity and it takes a lot of courage.

I just saw a video where a woman of color walked into a store with her 3 beautiful children dressed in traditional African clothing. The mom upset and very angry walked in and asked the clerk behind the counter “who asked my children are they going trick or treating for Halloween?” (It was August when this happened 2 months before Halloween). The clerk tried to deny that it was her but the 3 kids said it was her who said it. After the mother said some blunt but O so true words she explained that she tried her hardest to teach her 3 kids to be respectful to EVERYONE and not cause trouble. She tried to teach them to be great citizens and to honor their African heritage and for someone to disrespect them for doing just that is the ultimate slap in the face.

She said that when she try to be nice to people they don't hear a word she say but when she go to a place and curse everyone out everyone hears every word she says. I noticed that the video got over 24 million views. She said she wish it didn't have to be that way and so do I but seeing that she got 24 million views and I can remember almost every word she said is she right? I know the clerk will not say anything about anyone's clothing from this day forward and anyone watching that video will also think twice about disrespecting anyone's culture no matter who they are.

In her being true to herself and teaching her kids to be true to themselves she had to speak up unflinching with boldness. I remembered when Jesus Christ tried to get his point across he also spoke boldly, turned a table over and EVERYONE who read the bible remembers him doing that. Sometimes being true to ourselves mean that we must speak up for ourselves and speak up for those who can not speak for themselves. That mother could have done and said a lot of things. She could have just ignored it and told the kids not to worry about it but that day the kids went home feeling even more proud of who they are, proud of the clothes they were wearing and the heritage they represented.

As a woman of color myself, I can totally relate. You know how many times I was put down for my skin color and my natural hair? Even to this day trying to be true to myself in a world that truly doesn't respect everyone's culture is a tough battle but being true to yourself and honoring who you are is a battle worth fighting for. Being true to yourself is absolute bravery. Just as I said last year “ I had to fight for every inch of myself. From my own personal beliefs to my natural hair. I had to fight to be unique. People would tell me every day be yourself then look down on me and get angry when I do something they don't like”.

Being true to yourself means being true to ALL of yourself even in the bold words you speak. The only one you need to please is God so make sure you have the right heart no matter what you say or do. Keep in mind people are going to say whatever they want to say anyway. No matter if you dress in a suit or baggy pants people will still talk about you the same so why not be unapologetically yourself? I learned this the hard way. You really don't have anything to loose in honoring and being true to yourself.

So let your Unique flag fly. Love all of yourself because you are an awesome human being and worthy of being loved. God loves you and so do I.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com   

The worst moment in our lives makes us who we are right now

Crumbs do not replace a full meal at the table... The last few months have been very challenging but I have found renewed fire within me. The tiger has been let out of the cage and I am no longer a slave to fear. For many years I have tried to sit still, be quiet, not rocking the boat, be comfortable and be overly mindful of my words so not to hurt anyone's feelings. I've tried to show love and kindness so that people know how to love one another and I prayed daily for peace as a good Christian would.

Now I feel no need to hold my tongue any longer about the craziness I see. Today I have been set free. I will speak my mind with no apologies. I am free to call a spade a spade. I am free to express how tired I am of the pessimistic and hatefulness in people's hearts especially from people who call themselves Christians. Yes I know there is a history in this country and the fact that hatefulness and bigotry is not going away anytime soon it is time for me to be bold and unflinching with my words because in the world that I live in no matter what I say I am damned if I say anything and damned if I stay quite.

Because of that fact, I am under no obligation to tip toe around the issues so not to offend. I tried it and it didn't work so from this day forward my words will take a bolder (but still with love) approach in everything I say and do. I will be more direct and focused on the hardcore truths. The truth is that we as a people have a lot of work to do and I am anxious to get started on the renewed work that is underway.

I have never been clearer on my life path more than I am now. Honestly, I am excited. Over my lifetime I have trained for this moment right now. I want to help people to focus on the issues that are needed to build us up and not tear us down. It is time to build communities that our children would be proud of. For the longest time, people wanted to tear us down for who we are but history shows that we as a people always rise to the challenges we face. I am not afraid of what is to come because I have already gone through so much and I am stronger because of it. Those who are loving and supportive will understand my words and I am not worried about the rest.

Despite all that is going on I still love this Country but now we see it's true colors in bright neon lights overhead that express exactly how this country feels. Now it is time for me to speak up and speak out. I will no longer stay quiet about what I know is right. I know there is still good in this world and I will speak to the heart of people until we have full equality in this world. Crumbs will not replace a full meal at the table and it never will.

The hard works starts NOW

Artisticsoulwithin.com 

The Secret To Success Is To Know That You Can Have It.

Spoiler alert I'm going to tell you the secret of the Book Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Every person mentioned in the book KNEW that they were going to have what they desired.

Growing up in the Church I use to get so frustrated when I hear people talk about faith because people made it seem so simple to do and yet I always see people including myself struggle to have faith. I would many times hear people say “We all struggle with our faith” and just leave it at that like that's just the way it is. I would ask people who I thought was full of wisdom how do you have faith and their answer was “Just believe” or “just trust in God”. I trusted no one growing up and trust very few people now so how was I to learn to trust God whom I have not seen? I would say great I believe that I can have what I desire but it's not happening. I guess God don't want me to have what I desire. Looking back and thinking of Aesop's Fables That thought of God not wanting me to have what I desire was my biggest downfall and it just might be yours.

Even worse I would hear people say “God don't always give you the desires of your heart” like God doesn't want too. What I learned is that God is always willing to give us what we need and desire IF we stay connected to Him, stay connected to the source. Keep in mind God wants what is best for us. We become disconnected when we are filled with anxiety, worry, doubt, fear, selfishness, self-centeredness, greed and lack of faith just to name a few. It's not God that don't give us the desires of our heart, it's that we block Him from doing so. Many people don't want to believe that we can block The Almighty God from doing anything but consider this; Matthew 13;58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. If God is within you can He do miracles in you or will your lack of faith keep Him from doing anything? God wants to bless you. I have learned that God can do all things for us but only as far as our faith will let Him. He can only do what we believe.

What does it mean to have faith? It means to trust, speak words of faith, let go, don't try to figure it all out or make things happen, let God lead the way, don't put a time limit on what you want to receive or if you do have a relaxed mindset, relax and have a sense of relief. You know that you are in that sweet spot of faith when you have a sense of relief and calm. I wish someone would have told me that when I was a growing up.

I have learned that people will only teach you their level of faith. I have not heard anyone say I want your faith to be stronger than mine. Has anyone said that to you? If they don't believe that anyone can be miraculously healed they will tell you that you can't be miraculously healed like it is a fact. If people don't believe that God will do ALL things for you trust me they will let you know that God will not give you a new car or a million dollars and make it sound like a fact or give you a thousand rules about faith to discourage you from even asking for what you want all. The purpose of this article is to give you every reason to ask God for whatever you need and desire. There is no such thing as too much faith. I want you to have greater faith than me. Other people's lack of faith does not have to be yours.

Be bold. Stand out of the crowd like the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus and was instantly healed Luke 8;43- 48. Jesus said “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Amaze God with your faith like the centurion soldier Luke 7;1-10 Jesus said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel”. Will you amaze God with your faith? These two people knew what they knew and no one could tell them otherwise. They did not get permission to have that type of faith.

When you have that full faith nothing will shake you. Faith doesn't believe in what it sees. It only believes in the unseen. It also believes in what it knows. My husband made a striking statement to me one day that I will never forget. He was telling me that he has faith in God but he doesn't always get what he ask for from God. He said, “I only got what I knew I could have”. My eyes grew so wide and I was so amazed by what he said. His argument was that we don't always get what we want but he said, “I only got what I knew I could have”. That is a huuuge key right there and he was absolutely right. We only get what we know we can have.

Think about it for a moment everything you knew you could have without a shadow of a doubt you got it. That is how my life has always been. That is how I got all the things that I wanted in my life and I also knew that I could keep my eyesight even when the doctors told me that I am going blind. I can STILL see ^_^ This is the key to success. Don't just want what you want, know that you can have it just like everything else you received in your life and never stop trusting that God will do what he said He will do IF you believe He will. The most successful people believe in a higher power and how you build your faith is through study. How do know what God has promised you if you haven't studied His word? God's word is faith food. Because ALL things come through Him knowing Him will make a walk through this life a whole lot easier if you believe it will.

If you want more words of encouragement please join me Here and if you are in need of prayers just let me know and I will be happy to pray for you. Stay encouraged.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

Want To Have More Energy To Follow Your Dreams? Here's How

I really like this article that I found. This amazing article is all about having more energy to pursue your dreams. It's called How To Reclaim Your Energy So You Can Follow Your Dreams by Bill Apablasa. If you are feeling drained all the time and you want to learn a valuable lesson on how to gain more energy for your dreams then this article will help you a lot.

I love this article because in today's world it can be very hard to have energy before and after a long day of work and family. Add in an illness or depression and you can find yourself crawling out of bed overwhelmed with fatigue. Even now with me moving from one state to another having to create a whole new routine for myself and adjusting to a new environment is very draining. That is why I love this article that Bill wrote. His article is packed with great ideas to have more energy to follow your dreams. It is truly a breath of fresh air.

Bill so wisely said, “Money is not the great currency of our time. Energy is. Physical energy to get out of bed, and positive energy to do something better with our lives. All the noblest dreams in the world mean nothing if we don't have the energy to pursue them”.

He is absolutely right. How can we pursue our dreams if we don't have the energy to pursue them? And anything can sap our energy. Years ago I had the worst headache in my life nonstop for 8 straight looong months and the doctors for a very long time couldn't figure out what was wrong and they kept giving me medication that seemed to make things worse. That experience drained me like nothing else in my life. Thank God the answer was found and I recovered but most people don't recover from life energy drains.

Bill said “That's the thing about energy; it can drain out of us in so many different ways. Sure, bad health will do it, but so will a toxic relationship, or not being able to pay your mortgage, or finding out your son is being bullied in school. Worry. Fear. Regret. Anger. They're all “pin in the balloon” energy busters. Fortunately, There's hope. Lots of hope. We just need to learn how to get our energy back. In fact, the fight to reclaim our energy is one of the most important battles we'll ever fight. Triumph here and we gain the strength to fight an even greater battle- the fight for our dreams and the life we imagined”.

Having energy is very important in every aspect of our lives. Without energy, we can't live our lives to the fullest. Like Bill said there is hope. In his article, Bill gives many great tips on how to have more energy. One of my favorite tip he gave was “Stay in the moment”. Bill said “Want to see your energy soar? Catch yourself living in the past or the future as often as you can”.

This is a very helpful tip. Before I started practicing being mindful using MBSR my mind was all over the place thinking about the past and the future. When I learned how to notice when I am ruminating or rehearsing the future and bring myself back to the present it really helped my anxiety and increased my energy a lot. If nothing else learn to be mindful and you will have a whole lot of energy to get things done. Bill said, “The present moment is the only place where we will find both peace and power”.

Another great point that Bill made was “Engage in activities that keep you in the moment”.
What I like to do to train myself to stay in the moment is to always start my day on purpose. I start my day very slow on purpose. Even if I have a busy day ahead I will wake up early just to start my day on purpose. First thing in the morning I go to the bathroom to wash up then go back to bed. I say my prayers, read the bible and another favorite book and set my intention for the day in my journal. Starting your day on purpose helps to set the tempo of the day. I have learned that if you start the day relaxed and mindful you will end the day relaxed and mindful with energy to spare.

There are so many great points in Bill's article I can go on and on. It's best that you study his article yourself and use what you learned in your daily life. Bill said “At the end of the day, all this adds up to a simple two-prong strategy. Avoid the things in life that take our energy away, and then find the magic that brings our energy back”.

You have the power to have all the energy you need to pursue your dreams. If you want to learn more on how to have more energy to live life and pursue your passions please read Bill Apablasa's article How To Reclaim Your Energy So You Can Follow Your Dreams. Learn to live your life on purpose and you will have more energy to live.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

Let Go Of The Lack Of Motivation

I have found an amazing article that is very uplifting and encouraging. It is titled An Open Letter To Those Who Have Lost Their Motivation written by Marc Chernoff. If you lack motivation because of your long life journey this article is for you.

This article is right on time for me because for the past 2 weeks I have felt a little discouraged and unmotivated. I have been working on being a Professional Life Coach for a year now and I still feel like I have 10,000 pieces to put together in order to be successful. The journey seems painfully sloooow but in my heart I know that this is what I was called to do and even if I wasn't getting paid I would still love helping people. It's just that I need movement and growth. My Sister recently told me "You Barbara, you must feel like you are slaying dragons or you will get depressed and unmotivated. You need to find dragons to slay". I think a lot of people are that way and that is why I want to share what I have learned in the last 2 weeks.

After talking to my sister I realized that she is right. I need to slay some dragons. The first question that I asked myself was what dragon do I want to slay? In other words, what do I really want to master? The answer came to me quickly. I reeaaaally want to master Transitional Coaching. There are a lot of people who are going through transitions right now and I want to help people get focused, motivated and clear about the next chapter in their lives. I want to help people who are going through life changes and even Spiritual Shifts that sometimes make us feel lost with having no clear direction.

The next question I asked myself was do I have everything I need to reach my goals? I have training and experience but there is still the 10,000 pieces to put together to have a successful coaching practice.

The last question that I asked myself was what can I do NOW to accomplish my goals? This question really shifted my perspective. I was so focused on being “there” until I completely lost focus on the NOW and NOW is all we have. I was more focused on looking at the 10,000 puzzle box and not focused on the smaller pieces piled on the table.

Marc in his article wisely said “No matter your circumstances, you always have what you need to take the next smallest step. As Epicurus so profoundly said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Be mindful. Be present. Keep going. One small step at a time”.

"One small step at a time".

So now I set my alarm clock and wake up on purpose. Every morning I ask myself what do I need to do now to get to my goals? I get what I need to do done first before anything else then I am done for the day. I noticed that the most successful people are always focused on the task at hand and do what they need to do even when they don't feel like it.

I also learned that I am not trying to be a coach, I am a coach. I am not trying to be a writer, I am a writer. Coaches coach and Writers write. I have learned that in order to become what we desire to be we must BE what we want to be.

The last thing that I learned the last 2 weeks is to be constant even when you don't feel like it. Because I thought that my road was soooo long 1 day of watching So You Think You Can Dance marathon wouldn't hurt but 1 day turned into 2 days and 2 days turned into 2 weeks. I learned that we must stay constant or we will lose our momentum. Stick to a schedule even if you don't feel like it and you will be able to slay dragons with one swing.

I am excited about the future because today I got a lot done. 1 dragon down and many more to come. If you are looking for a motivating and uplifting article to help you put things into perspective please read An Open Letter To Those Who Have Lost Their Motivation written by Marc Chernoff. Remember that it is not about the destination it is all about the journey.

You have everything you need right now to continue on.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com