Tag: blogging

Entrepreneur Life

Published on by Velvet6 Comments

I awoke at 3:00am.

Doesn’t sound too good so far, does it?

Well, I was sick yesterday, you see. A little head cold. I slept a lot. And by 3:00 I was ready to get up.

So get up I did.

hahaha 🙂

I was thinking yesterday about how I feel like I have dyslexia sometimes. I mean, the above statement was to be funny, but I do order my sentences rather strangely a lot. My syntax is all sorts of jacked up.

But even if I do, so be it. God didn’t make a mistake 😛

So back to the entrepreneur life.

I’m in my bed.

Eating bread.

And butterrrrrrrrr

Just finished my coffee

and now am drinking waterrrrr

Lol I think this post is the product of having too much time on my hands.

Not a bad realization for it only being 7:30am! lol

I just praise God that I’m feeling loads better. Head colds are no fun. But I, as usual, am thankful for my cold. It gave me lots of time to think about love and life and choices. I had some good alone time with my Lord. Jesus, that is. Not Netflix or all the other gods people are worshiping these days.

So that entrepreneur thing. I am gonna do some WORK today. Do some reach-outs, some follow-ups. Some self-development. Maintaining the vision is important to stay motivated because nobody is telling me what to do! I look around the office (my bedroom) and wonder why nobody is doing their job. My eyes rest on the only person in the room to call out: it’s me.

“VELVET GET TO WORK!” I say to myself.

“Hey, take it easy on me, I’m new at this”. hahaha

But for real, guys. Self discipline at home is HARD!

I set my deadlines. I set my goals. I do the work.

But it really issssssssss nice to be able to chill at home, do laundry etc., connect with people I haven’t talked to in forever…

I decide when to take breaks. Where I wanna do my work. I might go to the library today. Or to a coffee shop. One thing on my to-do list is to plan another party for the end of this month. Sunday March 29th?

Mmk. I’m going to go for now, and read part of a book on self-development before jumping into IPA’s.

xxx

V

Life is too short

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To not do what doesn’t bring you joy!!!!!!

Please find a job that fills you up!

Please don’t say “yes” to everything

Please don’t settle

Please bail out of something if you know that it isn’t right for you, or if it isn’t right for you right now.

Nobody is making you stay.

Nobody except you.

I don’t know about you but I’m done getting in my own way.

It’s time to act.

action: a thing done

Actions are things that we do.

I have a running to-do list in my mind and on my heart that always has boxes that I haven’t checked off yet. I think it’s time to address those boxes.

Boxes, look out. I’ma check you.

I can’t wait to make the satisfying check mark in each box. And then go over it a second time to embolden it.

I can’t wait to plant lots of seeds, and then water them.

I can’t wait to water them again, and again.

And watch little buds pop up through the soil.

I can’t wait for the plants to grow up and start producing fruit, and for the fruit to grow. And then for the fruit to be ready to harvest.

All because I decided to act. To complete an action.

To check off a box.

And if I don’t do it, who will? Who will check off my boxes?

Only I know the answer to that question.

Nobody will.

Because only I  can. God designed these items for me specifically.

He designed items for you specifically as well. There are things that only you can do.

I’m so serious when I say these next few words:

There is no one like you.

You are unique.

You see the world in a way that nobody else sees the world.

I bet you have check boxes that are left unchecked too.

Go check one off, I dare you 😉

Let’s do this. Let’s get stuff DONE!

CHEERS TO ACTING!!!!!!!

xxx

 

What’s holding you back??

 

V

 

Shalom

Published on by VelvetLeave a comment

Imagine yourself sitting by the water.

It’s sparkling in the sun.

A slight breeze is moving it towards lush, green banks covered in grass. 

And all around you is a sense of…

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peace

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unbrokenness

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wholeness

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rest

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at rest

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stillness

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completeness

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complete

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ease

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smile

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calm

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breathe

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sleep

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close your eyes

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goodnight <3

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a good night it is 🙂

 

Peace be to you!

xxx

V

 

Daydreaming

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I used to rest in the shadows of maple trees

I used to lay in the grass and listen to the buzzing of flies and bees

I used to chew on tall pieces of grass

and collect scattered chestnuts from the tree down the road

I remember passing your house and wondering if you had a good life. I wondered if your parents spoiled you and if they even really cared

I used to sit by the radiator in my bedroom and listen

I used to sit on my bed and sing

What days those were, where I had all the time in the world

To sit

To be

To have no schedule

To roam through the fields that connected one person’s yard to the next.

To take off my shoes and wade the stream, looking out for sharp rocks

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..

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.

I miss going on bike rides

I miss hiking in the mountains

I miss just being out there without a goal in my mind, except to go further than I had ever gone before

Disconnected

Quiet

It’s out there

Nature is right out my window

I hear bird songs and see lots of trees

I must find out

I must seek the quiet

It’s there

Whatever you seek, you will find.

.

..

.

I hope this day finds you fantastically well!

xxx

<3

V

Joy

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The difference between happiness and joy is this: happiness is fleeting and joy is a state of being.

By the power of the Holy Spirit I can remain joyful throughout any situation. No matter how many fiery darts are flying in my direction; darts of disappointment, discouragement, disdain, detestation (wow, this is a word… I like it!!! even though it means “intense dislike” hhahah 🙂 )

As the darts roll in, I can let them roll off. My back, that is.

How?

Because of the knowledge of the Truth that I am in Christ Jesus and was bought by His blood when He died on the cross 2k years ago. I trust Him with my life, and know that I stand victorious with Him against any schemes that the enemy might conjure up.

So. That being said.

I’m at an interesting time in my life. I am still working as a private, in-home caregiver. I also just started a new endeavor doing direct sales. Direct sales can be discouraging if I choose to focus on the outcome of my reach-outs. What I mean by this is simple: rejection.

Nobody likes to be rejected… but if you are working in direct sales, you have GOT to get used to rejection. Not everyone is going to like the products, want the products. Some people may even get nasty. But I know this to be true: the war is not against the flesh and blood, but in the spiritual realm. So when people take out their negativity and hatred on me, I must choose to look past it and believe that (1) it ain’t about me (2) it certainly ain’t about vegan, chemical-free, anti-aging shampoo and skincare (this is what my company offers! <3 ) and (3) I have a real opportunity to shine the light of Christ to each individual through my response to people.

Notice I said “response” and not “reaction”.

A person’s emotional intelligence (EI) can be observed through the way they deal with certain situations. When someone is being difficult, I could mirror back their pettiness and anger to them (as they might expect me to do), or I could treat them with love, compassion, and forgiveness and choose to focus on listening to them and helping them in whatever capacity. This is not to say that we should be rugs.

Don’t be a rug. Repeat: do not be a rug. I don’t want anyone to enable anyone. We are not to be enablers of bad or rude behavior.

But loving? Yes. We should all always be loving. I will listen to you. Even if you come at me from a horrible angle. Because I KNOW that it isn’t about me. Whatever work the Lord has me doing is for my sanctification, His glory, and for the sharpening of other people; be it shedding light in a dark place, encouraging others when they feel alone, enhancing somebody’s life by simply entering into their life.

Being a child of God is a big responsibility! But God didn’t leave us to do it alone. We are empowered by His Holy Spirit.

One of my favorite prayers is this: “Lord, please redirect me if I need to be redirected. Thankyou for always leading me down your path of righteousness. Lord, please line up my will with yours, and kill my desire for anything that isn’t in your will for my life. I want to live according to your design. I want to live life to the full, through the lens of grace.”

Something like that.

<3

No two prayers are ever the same. None of that ritualistic stuff. I talk to God like I talk to any other person. Openly, honestly, with transparency, authentically. For God knows the words we’re going to speak before we even think them. Isn’t that amazing? Psalm 139 says “even before a word is on my tongue, you know it altogether”.

Lord, you knew that I was going to write this post this morning. You knew that I wanted to go to the early service but then I got held up … and this is the result of that. Lord, I pray that this post and these words blesses somebody. I pray that these words were exactly what somebody needed to hear today. Lord, I thank you for your presence with me right now. Thank you for the opportunity to do laundry this morning. I thank you for my car. I pray that you help me travel safely. Thank you for being able to worship today. Thank you for my lunch meeting. Thank you for the afternoon meeting. Lord help me make good use of my time later. Thank you for my sabbath this weekend. Thank you for restoring me. Your presence is so sweet. Thank you for teaching me how to choose you. Thank you for instilling within me the desire to seek you. I need you. I NEED YOU. Not only do I need you, but I WANT YOU. Do I believe you when you tell me that you’re the lover of my soul? That you love me with an everlasting love? When love is in the air, I just want to HEAR from the person. I can’t wait to SEE the person. I can’t wait to COMMUNE with the person. I VALUE and RESPECT the person. I want this with you. 

I want to hear from you.

I want to see you.

I want to commune with you. 

I value you. I respect you. I trust you. 

<3

<3

<3

Whatever your vessel is that God has given you to work in, lead in, be a part of, perform in it for His glory. For HIS glory. For God sees the heart. He knows our motives. Do you trust Him?

<3

xxx

V

confession

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is freeing.

Bringing things to light.

Shining a light on darkness.

Bringing things to the surface.

I remember being underwater in the pool as a child. My friends and I would have “tea parties” where we would exhale all the way in order to plunge ourselves down to the bottom of the pool and then we would sit indian-style or lounge on the pool floor and pretend to drink tea. With our pinkies up, of course. 🙂

The tea parties didn’t last very long because we didn’t have gills. 🙁

hehe

so after about…. well, I was going to write a minute but I think in reality it was only like 10 seconds hahah…

so after about 10 seconds… we would shoot up to the surface and breathe deeply. Ahhhhh oxygen. Satisfying oxygen.

Go ahead, take a deep breath right now.

It’s wonderful, isn’t it? That God gave us O2. Thank God. Though sometimes we feel like we can’t breathe because we need to surface. We’ve spent time on the floor of a deep pool for too long.

That’s what confessing feels like.

I did that earlier today. So freeing. Like I can breathe again.

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If my friends and I didn’t resurface we would have drowned. That is a little dramatic, but it’s true. We can’t breathe under water. We can only hold our breath for so long, and then we would pass out and drown.

I think a similar thing happens when we don’t confess. We drown. We’re meant to confess.

James 5:16 says:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

 

The reason James gives for confessing your sins is “so that you may be healed”.

Makes perfect sense if we think of being stuck in our sin as drowning at the bottom of a pool. We gotta surface and breath and live.

When we bring our darkness to the surface, others can be our oxygen. They can breathe life into us with prayer and encouragement and help keep us accountable. Not that they have to even necessarily say or do anything further after the confession. Just knowing that other people know is great accountability. We’re all on this journey together and we all are going to find ourselves underneath the surface at one point or another. I promise you, surfacing is the best decision you will ever make. I know it was for me today. And that was literally a few hours ago.

Fact is, I don’t want to drown. I don’t want to struggle with my breathing. I don’t want to struggle. I don’t want to entertain struggling. If I choose to go to the “tea party” I want to make sure I bring my diving gear.

For the christian, that means the spiritual armor. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 in your bible. Or google it.

Each part of the armor is equally as important. We must protect ourselves in whatever environment we’re in so that we don’t struggle.

The word says that those in Christ are free. And that we are new creations. I am healed. I am restored. I was made new.

So now I must walk in that truth. And if ever I find myself drowning at the bottom of the pool, push off the floor and surface immediately. Breathe in life-giving breath. Confess any sin. Pray and ask for prayer. And be more prepared next time.

That’s all for now.

xxx

<3

LOVE Y’ALL
V

 

 

Relief

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Oh my goodness. What a relief it is to know you Lord.

You’re IT. You’re what gives me purpose. You’re the missing link. The missing piece.

You answer the “why” that I’m looking for.

Why am I here?

Why am I alive?

What’s the point?

How do I live in this jacked up world?

How do I survive?

How do I forgive people?

How do I take care of myself well?

How do I say “no” to doing and saying things that hurt me and others?

How?

 

You kept me awake all night the other night. I kept waking up, lurching forward out of a dream. A nightmare. I was in the passenger seat of a car and we were driving too fast. There wasn’t enough time to brake.

I kept waking up out of this dream and lurching forward to almost sitting straight up.

I know what You were trying to tell me. Hit the brakes. HARD. Turn around. Better yet,

get.

out.

of.

the.

car.

I’m in the wrong place, with the wrong person, heading in the wrong direction. And if I don’t hit the brakes, we’re both going to crash.

I knew that was You speaking to me through a dream. And people say You don’t speak through dreams. Ha

People say a lot of things

people say

people say

“people say”

it doesn’t matter what people say. It’s just words. But YOU, Your Word. When YOU speak…. we MUST pay attention.

 

Lord… 

Thank you that you know my heart and you love me the same. Thank you for the gift of conviction and the gift of knowing You and hearing from You. Thank you for calling my name and speaking to me. Thank you for redirecting me. Thank you for capturing my attention. Thank you for not leaving me alone to make bad decisions that I’ll later regret. Thank you for wanting me to look more like Christ and less like me. Thank you for properly posturing my heart to desire You. To love You. To not just modify my behavior on the outside for PEOPLE but to earnestly seek to love you with every cell in my body. 

Help me trust You with every detail. Help me not settle for the wrong car, for the wrong person, for the wrong trip, for the wrong direction. For the wrong motives. For the wrong outcomes. For selfishness. For personal gains. For thrill seeking. Lord I thank you that every thing you created is good… but it isn’t always the right time or place to enjoy Your creation. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy so much of my every day life. You didn’t have to do that. From the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to bed; I love my life. 

I love my life.

I love this life.

There are parts I want to change.

I am actively working on changing those parts.

There are parts that can’t change right now or maybe never.

I am actively working on accepting those parts. Even if that means giving them up again and again on the daily.

All we can do is the next right thing.

We must focus on the next right thing. We mustn’t focus on what’s lacking.

For the Lord is my shepherd, and I shall. not. want.

xxx

<3

V

The most unlikely folks

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Lord

You use the most unlikely folks

It’s hilarious to me

I write them off in my mind

First thought, “Nahhhhh”

They are the ones that perform

They are the ones that come forth

They are the ones that stand firm

They are the ones

I’m learning to trust You!

I’m learning to lift up each of these, the least of these, up to You

Thank you for giving me clarity and showing me Your ways

Your high, high ways

Not highways

Though if your ways were a highway it would have endless lanes and there would be no accidents. There would be loops and underpasses and overpasses and bridges. There would be no speed limit, but many would drive very, very, very slow. They wouldn’t be an inconvenience though, because they have their own lane. Maybe that’s what the highway of Your mind is like, Oh God. A lane for each of your children on a humongous highway. With 7 billion lanes. Or is it 9? 7.53 billion according to Google.

I think that’s more accurate. But maybe not. This is me thinking out loud here. I know You definitely have me waiting behind others a lot. And also looking back to make sure others are still following me. You also have people very close to me in my car. Sometimes for a month or six or a year or two.

I won’t try to construct the highway of Your mind anymore. Though I do know this: every speck of every inch of every mile on Your highway is intentionally the way it is; per Your design. It has purpose. It gives life to us. I think of tiny organisms growing and being shaped and stretched and challenged in their own little life.

Your purpose in the details is often despised. Only later do you graciously pull back the curtain of Your purpose.

Thank you Father for giving me purpose. 

This call to action in my life has been SO exciting.

The momentum building has been SO motivating.

And I want to help other people.

I want to change their lives.

I want others to catch the vision I’ve caught.

Purpose. I have purpose. A greater purpose.

He has prepared me for this. He always does.

Have you found your purpose?

xxx

<3

V

Changes

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Exciting changes.

Exciting opportunities!

Wanna be a market partner with me for Monat?? Ask me how and I’ll send you my link!

Network marketing is the way the world is moving… direct sales from the company to YOU… Through someone like me (an influencer!).

I’m super hyped about this experience. There was nothing to lose by signing up. I got a bunch of products that I already love and stand behind 100% and now my job is to tell the world about them so y’all can experience what I’ve been experiencing!

Great hair. Healthy hair. Hair care. The natural root. Vegan. Cruelty-free. Patented. Proven to restore and regenerate hair.

Yuuuuuup.

I’m a little bit scared to have signed up as a market partner, but I have a really good feeling about it.

Have you ever decided to take a leap of faith and sign up for something without knowing what the outcome will be?

Thank you Lord for leading me. Help me to always do things to your glory and for your glory. I love you!

xxx

<3

V

“You were just what I needed”

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He said as he continued laughing.

Then he said “God bless you.” before stepping on the gas and turning right on red.

My cheeks hurt from laughing as I closed the styrofoam cajita leftover from my friend’s dinner. Rice, beans and steak.

I didn’t have a fork so I was eating it out of the container like a pig at the trough. hahaahah

And cute Mr. Mystery pulled up beside at just the right moment to see me in all of my piggish glory as I lapped at the rice and beans. A piece of steak hung from my mouth as I glanced over to my right side; only to see him bust out laughing at the sight.

He started to open his window and I reached for mine.

“Thank you. You were just what I needed tonight. God bless you!”

🙂

Glad I could make your night, oh random strange man with the twinkle in your eyes. I’m glad my gluttonous habits could be used for your good.

Well, perhaps not gluttonous. Quirky, yes.

Be yourself.

Learn to laugh at yourself.

Live. Life is short. Live.

Good night my friends.

xxx

<3

V