by Altimese Nichole | Nov 3, 2015 | Family + Relationships
I never truly understood the importance of having a peaceful home until I became a wife. It was important to me as a single woman but when joining lives with another person- peace began to have a different meaning.
Peace became sacred, covered, protected, and shield from harm and unwanted outside forces. I am not intentional with how I set the tone in my house, which ultimately guided the mood of all who walks into the doors.
Here are some of the ways that help me to keep and maintain a peaceful home:
- Declutter and maintain order
A clean home is not only inviting, but it helps with the positive vibes and energy of the home. When I first moved on my own, I would dedicate a day to cleaning and do a extensive cleanse of my house. But in the midst of home, family, work, and all other things that’s on our plates—it’s become difficult to do that. So now, every night I have a routine of “tidying” up, room by room. I put away blankets, put all dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down my countertops, and go intentionally through the home to prepare it for the next day. While doing so, I make it a point to slowly calm my mind from the day. It helps me to not go to bed and have my mind still racing. The clean aura of the home creates a welcoming feeling each morning and an inviting space every evening.
- Be Mindful of the company you invite to your home
I LOVE spending time with people. However, I can probably tell you all people who have entered the doors of my home. Every person contains 3 things; a body, a soul, and a spirit. Spirits are transferrable. Have you ever noticed that if you hang around someone who is angry long enough, you will find yourself being short tempered over time? When creating a peaceful environment, intention and discernment are your best friends. Be careful the people you bring into your personal space— especially since motives and intentions are unseen.
- Bless Your Home
Since I can remember, my mother blessed our home with oil. It would be a simple bottle of olive oil that she would pray over—and she will then pray over herself and walk each room with word of prayer and a heart of surrender. Now, as a wife of my own home, I find myself doing the same. Instead of olive oil, I use died sage (which is very similar to burning incense). I start at my front door and go to every corner of my home, ending back at my door and opening the door to allow any unwanted spirits to leave. I wish I could explain the aftermath of it but I can only compare it to PEACE. This has now become a part of my prayer/personal time with God that I look forward to, while increasing my intent to cleanse my home
Peace is provided to us all but we must become intentional to maintain it. What are some of the things you do to help maintain peace in your home?
by Altimese Nichole | Nov 3, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Have you heard of The Law of Attraction? It’s a thought philosophy that like attracts like. This simply means that in life, we attract the things that we are within us. Whether good, bad, or indifferent—we attract the things and people that are merely a reflection of what’s within.
Although the theory is debatable by many, I am a firm believer that that is true because I’ve seen it play out in my life personally. Additionally, the philosophy has a foundation of belief – which further reinforces truth behind the concept that we attract what we put out. For example, in the word of God, we’re told to BELIEVE FIRST and we will SEE it manifest later. Regardless of the circumstances, we’re told to stand on faith and believe that our perception will become our reality. It all starts within.
I’ve lived this out for years. A professional mentor (that’s a CMO of a globally recognized company and home brand) share with me one of her secrets to success:
“I don’t think about where I am. I visualize where I want to be. I go beyond visualizing through living my life as if it’s already happened. For every promotion, I’ve found someone in the company that had the type of role I wanted next. I would observe and study the person’s behaviors, how they interacted with peers, and learned more about their work ethic… and I would imitate them. I’d put my one personal spin one what I found as my next professional stepping stone. You can’t have what you don’t believe you deserve or you can see. If you can see yourself there, then it’s yours.”
From marriage, to career moves… her wisdom has held great truth for me. I’ve taught myself to live my life through the lens of my future self, and my physical and current circumstances will simply align with time.
Have you experienced the Law of Attraction in your life? Share with the STRONG leaders how it’s had an impact on your life.
by Altimese Nichole | Oct 25, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Every day, we have great power through the use of our words. We can speak life to our circumstances or we can speak what we see and feel into the atmosphere. Our words can brighten our day or remind us of the gloom or difficulty in our lives.
Although much easier said than done, here are some tips that can help you fuel your words to the direction you desire.
- Read your Bible
The Word of God is full of amazing words or wisdom when it comes to the power of words, our thoughts, and our feelings. If you’re struggling in this area, I encourage you to read with the clear intention and direction. Make it a point to find all of the scriptures involving our words and study those scriptures. If initial studying is slightly difficult with you, check out our articles called Using SOAP with God.
- Review Yearly Goals
Writing goals help us to stay focused on the things that matter when our feelings of motivation as left us. Reading and reviewing our goals help us to keep in mind the bigger picture when the journey becomes tougher than we expected. When we remind ourselves of our WHY, we encourage ourselves through the HOW.
- Listen to motivational videos and podcasts
Though technology, we can chose to be reactive to the information we receive or be intentionally proactive with the type of content we let into our lives. Through Facebook, our timelines are full of things and people we CHOOSE to follow and connect ourselves with. Want more positivity? Simply add more positive things and people to your friends list and pages, while hiding the negativity. Simply click the hide button over status updates or go to the person’s page and click unfollow updates. This leaves the friendship or connection intact without the interference of your desired timeline environment. YouTube “Motivational videos†and the “Power of Your Word,†and prepare to fill up with great content.
We all get off course with our words, and that’s okay! It’s up to recognize when we get off course and be intentional about getting back on track. Use your words to fuel your success, love life, and future. Your words contain power so be very intentional about the power you’ve been given.
by Altimese Nichole | Oct 20, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Who are you? Before answering this simply yet profound question, remember that who you are is never associated with an occupation, a person, or a thing. Who you are begins with the core essence of you that’s unseen to the natural eye. It’s your deepest desires and can be found in your darkest fears.
So—taking some time to think about it… who are you?
Truly learning the core of you takes time, patience, grace, and honesty. Here are some things that helped me along my journey of learning who I am at my core:
I read a lot of self-improvement books
Reading is fundamental. Most books are amazing but few can truly become life-changing. One book that helped me grow was “What to Do until Love Finds You” by Michelle Hammond McKinney. The first time I read this book was years ago but I still remember the moment of breakthrough: I was ending a horrible relationship and was slowly losing myself in a state of depression. One chapter of the book broke me down (literally). I cried for hours in my quiet house; the phone was on silent, the TV was off and the sound of my whimpers echoed. It was my moment of breakthrough with God. I couldn’t have experienced that moment without that book. Reading wasn’t only fundamental for my brain; reading became fundamental to my growth.
Self-Reflection
The older I become, the more my gift of influence and relationships become more apparent and clear. When facing difficult situations with people—I always self-reflect, asking myself HOW and WHY I responded the way I did. I also pay attention to how my thoughts react. That matters more than most realize.
I give grace… to MYSELF
In the process of learning myself, I learned things that I didn’t like. I wanted to change them but here’s the thing: if we could change ourselves on our own, we would have done it by now. We need God to help us change and grace is required through the process. If giving grace to yourself doesn’t come easy, remember the One that gives grace to you daily. If He can do it, we should certainly try our hardest to do the same too.
So, I let me ask again….
Who are you?
Seek. Discover. Evolve and love.
XOXO
by Altimese Nichole | Oct 20, 2015 | Lifestyle+Culture
Growing up in a single family home was tough at times. All financial responsibility for the home fell on my mother – and she worked two jobs the majority of my childhood to make ends meet. In the midst of the difficult journey, my mother took the time to pour invaluable wisdom in my life— after all, we were all we had.
One of the many things she taught me while growing up was centered around finances. Having a financial background and career, she made it a point to teach me core financial nuggets of wisdom. If your heart is open to receive, I would like to share a few with you:
- Credit is EVER-REY-THANG!
So is credit really everything? YES. Credit is EVERYTHANG!!!
“If you have a bill due and no grocery in your house and your contemplating on which one to pay—pay that bill first. Because of your decision to pay that bill, you can easily go to the bank to request a 0% APR loan, which will help you to pay for those grocery for your home. But never, ever neglect your bills unless unforeseen circumstances force you into that position. If that’s the case, communicate with your collectors. If you tell them upfront, they’re more willing to help you through it vs. a lack of communication and an abundance of unpaid bills.” ~ My mom
It sounds crazy but America’s score of your responsibility matters. They don’t see you struggling to pay your bills but that score will follow you wherever you are in life, for the rest of your life. I am a personal testimony of this. While in college, I followed my mom’s advice and used ONE credit card to build my credit (which is still the same company for the one credit card I have now as an adult). Within one year, my score doubled. I needed a car but had no down payment since I was still in school. I went to a dealership and within a few hours I drove off the lot with a brand new car, a 4% interest rate, and no down payment needed. Don’t be fooled; protect that credit score the way you would protect your most valuable possessions.
- Make Credit Cards Work for YOU
“To build credit, get ONE credit card (all you need is one) and put $100 or $200 dollars on it each, and PAY IT OFF. Continue to do that each month and it will trigger your score in a positive way.”~Mom
Never have an on-going balance on your card. By doing so, your become obligated to pay interest. Additionally, get a card that has a great rewards system. This will help you earn points toward free gift cards, flights, hotels, and more. I personally know quite a few people who pay their bills through their cards to maximize their points. Let me explain… Instead of using the money that they ALREADY HAVE in their bank account to pay their bills directly, they go through a process: they pay their bill with their rewards card first, wait for the points to accumulated, and then pay off the credit card in total. IF (and only if) you’re highly engaged with monitoring your card and you’re self-disciplined to do this would it be recommended. However, this method uses the credit card to the advantage of the consumer.
- Use the Cash-and-Carry Method
“Every now and then, assess your spending habits and do a financial clease through the cash-and-carry method. Carry just cash and keep your receipts. At the end of the month, see what you’re really investing your money in.” ~My mom
Have you ever noticed that if you take out money from the bank, you tend to hold onto it much longer than you would the money on your debit card? When we physically see the money transaction, we tend to think twice about our purchases. If you’re trying to get a handle on your finances, I highly encourage the cash-and- carry method, leavening your cards at home. For emergencies, dust that check book off, and carry it with your cash! Why the checkbook? Checks are so archaic yet so very intentional. To write a check, you’re deliberately thinking about the money you’re spending—and you will have access to your account, should life throw you a curveball.
- The Co-signing Trap
“Never co-sign unless you’re married to the person you’re co-signing for. Even in that case, be careful. The co-signer holds the primary responsibility for the loan. So, should the initial borrower fail to make payments, the collector has the right to immediately go after the co-signer. Just don’t do it. Not for friends and definitely not for family.” ~My mom
Her words said it all. No explanation is needed.
- Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
“Just because you don’t know about financial responsibility it doesn’t give you a pass to do immature things when it comes to money. Financial matters involve numbers. Numbers don’t lie and care nothing about concept, ideas, hopes and dreams.” ~My Mom
Make financial education a personal goal in your life. Read books, research the companies your working with, and learn about 401k’s and investment opportunities. Financial matters are personal yet brutally public if not handled properly. Educate yourself. In a world with all information at our fingertips, we truly have no excuse anymore.
Have you ever received great financial advice? Please share with the STRONG community!
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