My Top 6 Favorite Inspirational Memes

These are my top 6 favorite Inspirational and motivational Memes. As an NLP Spiritual Life Coach, my goal is to motivate and inspire people to live their best life. In order to manifest what you desire you must have a relaxed faith and the persistence to keep looking forward no matter what obstacles get in your way. I chose these memes to help you stay focused this week. You have everything that you need in order to succeed. All you need now is faith. Stay encouraged and keep moving forward. God Bless. 

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Your Peace Of Mind Is More Precious Than Gold.

If it costs you your peace of mind it's too expensive.

Our peace of mind is more precious than gold and this article is about protecting and cherishing our peace of mind. If you find yourself overwhelmed by stress this article is for you.

The last few months have been back to back stressful events in my life. I had to overcome a serious illness, moving again and dodging scorpions (YEA Scorpions!) in my new place. Along with financial hardships and family crisis after crisis, my life has been stacked with stress. Not to mention current events I find myself surrounded by things pulling at my peace of mind and my sanity.

Despite all of that I still find myself at peace and very happy. Even with all the storms of life, I have been able to grab peaceful moments in my day. Enough peace of mind that I am able to focus on things that I really love. I learned that we can not always control things outside of ourselves. We only have control of the space that is within us and I have learned to take full advantage of that. I have learned to start my day on purpose before any negativity or chaos have time to take hold. Using that peaceful time before I even get out of bed helped me to direct how I want my day to continue. I have learned that if I start my day off peaceful no matter what pit hole I fall into I can still keep my peace of mind and always find my way out.

For example, I wake up and do my prayers and meditations. After I do that I write out my intention for the day 15 times on paper. I do what I call a writing loop something that I learned from Scott Adams to solidify my intentions. I write something like I Barbara Clay, make passive income from books, digital art and blogging. I have writing mastery.... I write that 15 times every morning before I start my day and now I am clearly on my way to achieving just that. The writing loop really does work. My book is almost done and I love it. I am also selling my artwork.

Starting my day off on purpose really helped me a lot and I know it will also help you too. The things we want the most always start in the mind first so start your day creating what you want in your mind first before anything else has a chance to grab your attention. Take time the first thing in the morning to really care for yourself. If you find yourself overwhelmed and stressful start your day with a prayer and make a deceleration in writing of what you want to achieve for the day and each and every day.

I know if you start your day off on purpose and protect your peace you will always have enough peace of mind to continue on through the day. Yes, chaos may happen all around you but I know that if you learn to cultivate and protect your peace you can have the peace of mind to handle anything that comes your way. Never give up. You have everything you need to succeed. Don't think you do, know you do. God Bless.  

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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

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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