Empowering women in August

 

 

Scripture: Proverbs 31: 10

An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls. (Amp)

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. (KJV)

A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. (MSG)

A wife of noble character who can find her? She is worth far more than rubies. (NIV)

Wie sal 'n deugsame vrou vind? want haar waarde is ver bo korale. (AFR53)

A woman of noble character is a woman who follows the biblical principles of Proverbs 31:10-31 we heard this morning. She is virtuous, capable, trustworthy, hardworking, generous, wise, and God-fearing. She is also more precious than rubies/ diamonds. 

Today, these qualities are hard to find among women, but when you find one, you must cling to that person. Why? So that her character can rub off on you and you can become like her, a woman of noble standing.

On Saturday, I took part in the perseverance walk at the SAP, CPF event for women. We walked around the rugby field a few times (4). During this walk, I noticed one small yellow flower still blooming. I cannot say how many feet trampled over her. But here was this little flower, so minute in the larger scope of the field, still blooming her heart out.

At that moment, I recognized her strength and tenacity. She was not willing to bow her head amid adversaries. She held her head high, and she bloomed. She fulfilled her purpose.

Do you know what is your purpose?

Do you have goals that would bring you closer to your purpose?

Now, you will tell me, you don’t know my story Lynelle, and you are right, I don’t. But I know my story. I know about desperation and poverty; I understand about lack, and the depression and fear that follow it. I can write books about the unfairness dealt to me, bitter stories of discouragement and disillusionment, but I choose not to focus on that. I choose to bloom where I am planted.

One lesson I have learned during my life walk is this: No One Will Believe In You If You Don’t Believe In Yourself. If you do not make a conscious decision to lift your head and bloom where you are planted, no one will reach out or help you.  

Ruth, the woman from the Bible, was a noble woman. A Proverbs 31 woman. A woman I can relate to. She chose to follow Naomi. This led her to the fields of Boas and today her name is still mentioned hundreds of years after her death. Why? Because she made an intentional decision to stick with one woman.

How can you do this? Living with Intent Journal is created to help you to formulate your plans and stick with them. Use the journal like a tool.

Right at the beginning of the journal, it begins with Self-Love. If you cannot love yourself, no one else will. 

      Ø Don't Compare Yourself to Others.

Ø  Grow Your Positive Vibe.

Ø  Do An Activity You Love at least once a month.

Ø  Find A Place That Makes You Happy.

Ø  Clean Your Room and Environment.

Ø  Don't Forget to Take Time to Relax.

Ø  Eat healthily and exercise. Your future self will thank you one day.

Ø  Enjoy the little things.

Ø  Keep your chin up, shoulders straight and let your smile speak for you.

Ø  Get into the Word of God, study it and find your North. You cannot find it without God.

Remember: Diamonds are born under immense pressure. A noble woman is not born like one. She is planted, pressed, sometimes forgotten, but when she immersed from the ground and cleaned, she shines.

But it all starts with one decision. A decision only you can make.

If you need guidance, support, or an ear, reach out to a life coach or counsellor near you. It is your choice; I cannot force you. But if you don’t, you will still be here next year, in the same position.

I was where you are right now, eleven years ago. I understand the difficulties and the problems. I understand the fears and worries. I know what it is to feel alone, desperate, without hope. It is only when I reached out that I could find the way forward. For each of us, it is different, but when you make an intentional decision, you can encourage others.

Position yourself, get a Naomi in your life. Follow and learn. Nobility is a seed that needs water. Water gives life. Once you water that seed, it will grow and you will become like that little flower that blooms where she is planted. 

Contact me at lynelleclark@gmail.com if you want to connect or in need of a life coach. 

Release your Creativity: Ditching the Junk

 

Free Download: Introduction Release Your Creative Manual 

If we are in control of our thoughts, we can achieve just about anything. It sounds simple, and we’ve all heard this many times before, and wondered why we still cannot achieve what we want.

However, there’s more to it than a simplistic belief that ‘you can achieve anything you want in life’... right?

Most of us don't have control over our thoughts. Taking control of our thought life is the first step towards genuine progress.

Everything we think, every attitude we adopt, every position we assume, every angle we see things from, it all makes a tremendous difference.

So, you might think something like, ‘Here we go again, think happy thoughts and everything will turn out shiny and perfect. Is it all you have to do? 

Well, no. That’s not all. Not quite. Think clearly, without the attendant positive action, we’re wasting time. But if we have a positive attitude, it puts us in the mood to take decisive action. It makes the world of difference.

 STOP AND TAKE STOCK. 

Stop, and view your state and actions. You are defining your current situation by continually thinking the same way and doing the same things that have always brought you all the negatives you don’t want.

So, stop. Take a breather and notice your overriding thoughts. You might think thoughts of being useless? Or maybe you’re thinking that you don’t deserve certain things? Maybe you’ve decided that you’ll never make real money, no matter what you do or how many new ventures you try out.

So, why are we thinking this way? Well, not through choice, that’s for sure! It doesn’t take a trained psychologist to know that nobody wants to think destructive, miserable, and unproductive thoughts each day.

No-one chooses to do that. But (and it’s a BIG ‘but’)… we do repeatedly think this way by not choosing to think in a different way. The choices we make will make all the difference.

So back to the question, why do we think this way? Most likely because our culture encourages us to think this way. We are subjected to negative ideas and negative ways of thinking since childhood. We absorbed this in the same way as a sponge absorbs water.

Now, without thinking about it, we just adopt those depressing, negative attitudes, and those negative thinking styles, and we’re off and running. We end up thinking negatively, and we don’t even realise what we’re doing!

So, take stock and decide what it is you’re thinking, and then find out if it’s helping you move towards your goals, or moving away from them in the opposite direction.

Decide what you want. Think about it. Take your time. Attempt to define the precise details of what it is you want.

If there’s something you’re thinking about (for example, if you are continually reliving a negative experience in your mind), then ask yourself, “Is this helping me, or is it just slowing me down?”

If your thinking isn’t helping you, then it’s time to ditch the junk and quench those destructive thought patterns. It might not be easy, but it is achievable with a little self- awareness and a lot of self-control.

Decide on your next course of action (or course of thinking). If you have things that are going on in your life, and they are dragging you down, then you know it’s time to stop doing them, or thinking about them.

HAVE A MENTAL CLEAR-OUT!

Do this regularly. Remove the junk from your mind and get rid of all the emotional trash. Feel the relief as you ‘see’ it floats away on a softly undulating sea of calm thoughts. Isn’t it good to be free from that emotional garbage that’s been dragging you down and pulling you further and further away from what you actually want?

As you become freer and lighter, you’ll be able to put into action all the things you want to do. You’ll find that you can complete them much more easily and more productively now.

It’s much easier to do the correct and the productive thing if you are not weighed down by bags of negativity. It’s like trying to swim with bags of sand attached to your belt.

The moment you ditch your junk thoughts, you will feel lighter! You can move easier! You can move with greater ease towards the things you want in your future. Your actions will be more efficient because you’re no longer being dragged down by rotten, stinking thinking!

BEGIN MAKING REAL PROGRESS

Upon doing this, you’ll see actual progress in your life. Progress in improving your memory, or making more money, or finding romance, or improving your relationships, or building a business. Whatever it is you want, you must be sure of what it is before you move towards it.

This is more easily achieved if you’ve ditched all the rotten thinking that’s been holding you back all this time. The way to do that is to recognise it for what it is, and let it go.

And as you relinquish the negativity, you more easily adopt an attitude of positivity, which helps you move in the right direction, and much more quickly.

COUNTING THE COST

And your cost of achieving all this? A few minutes each day, and a little clear thinking! Some time spent reflecting on the value of certain trains of thought—and the boldness to change direction where necessary.

Commit to your future and devote some quality time each day towards some clear and forward focused thinking. In return for a few minutes of your time, the future rewards can be incredible!

If you have been spending time (and emotional energy) thinking depressing, miserable, and unproductive thoughts, you can change things, and you change them now.

You don’t need to be a psychologist, or even have a psychotherapist to guide you.

You do not need an expensive hour on a consulting room sofa once a week for six months or a life coach. You don’t even need a patient friend to listen to your troubles or a comforting shoulder to cry on.

Generally, you can sort out your own problems, all by yourself, and without any support from therapists or any other type of ‘professional’. In just a few minutes each day, all the benefits of thorough self-reflection are yours!

You’ll feel more at peace within yourself and find your thinking is much clearer. You’ll begin making better decisions. Your goals will become much clearer, and you’ll be moving towards your goals steadily, and with far less effort.

In fact, you’ll be closing in on your goals so fast it’ll make your world spin!

Excerpts and links from Lynelle Clark’s books.

 

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Contemporary

 

Contemporary Romance

  Suddenly her cell phone rang, disturbing the stillness, but she smiled. The Caller ID showed it was her best friend, Monica. Of all her friends, she was closest to her, and was the heart of the group with her sparkling personality; always busy arranging parties or schemes, especially where boys were concerned.

Anabella trusted her as she was the only one who knew what was really going on at her house. Not that she ever allowed her to come over. For that, she was too ashamed, but she knew enough and was always close. When things got bad, she could always turn to her. Although Monica was a cheerful person and looked like a ‘dumb blond’, she had shown maturity in a lot of things over the years, something that was not well known in their group.

“Hi, Moni.”

“Hi, Bell! You in the mood for a party at my house tonight?”

She could hear Monica was excited - almost out of breath because of it - and she could see her, as if she was standing right in front of her. However, Anabella did need to rest. Her muscles were still stiff after the practice.

“Not tonight, Moni, I really need to rest. Tomorrow is a big day and I must be in top form,” she said with a sigh, smiling because of her friend’s anxiousness.

“Please, Bell, do come, please, even if it is only for an hour or so.” Monica sounded very eager, almost desperate.

What was she up to again? “Moni, I can’t come, please understand.”

Once outside, he led her to an unoccupied chair where she sat down, bending shapely legs under her. He sat directly in front of her, his eyes never wavering, even though it seemed she was not aware of him.

Anabella was aware; the butterflies in her tummy told her he was watching her every move. Even when Mr. Richter and Tim spoke to him, she could still feel his gaze on her, sipping away at his drink. His posture was relaxed and at ease. He knew the family well she realized as she watched him listen to Mr. Richter with keen interest.

Sometimes, she turned to Monica and her other friends to talk to them, only to look back at him. Each time she found his eyes on her and a smile playing on his lips. She wasn’t uncomfortable under his stare; she rather enjoyed his blunt way of looking at her.

Anabella wished she was a bit more outgoing in order to speak to him, but she didn’t know what to say. She knew he was a lawyer at a successful firm, but other than that she knew nothing about him. This was something she wanted to change, but her shyness prevented her from speaking freely, and then there was the age difference.

He was out of her league; no way would he find her fascinating. She couldn’t understand why she felt so uneasy about it. There were many couples whose age difference wasn’t a problem. Her parents were an example. Her mother and father differed in age by fifteen years and they had a ‘happy’ marriage. If you could call what they had a marriage―it worked for them.

He smiled as he brushed his fingers against her arm, the feeling sending shivers down her spine. They chatted and she told him more about the practices and a competition she would participate in at the end of the week; just a friendly race at the club.

The air hummed with electric currents and her heart raced. He leaned in closer and semi-whispered, “I have missed you.” This was followed by a kiss, which made all the others feel like child’s play. They couldn’t get enough of each other, her body responding under his touch, his warm hand caressing it gently.

“I’ve missed you, too,” she finally said as his eyes moved over her black bikini appraisingly, smiling at her blush. She felt his warm hand on her ribs, a thumb stroking her skin. She was aware of every touch, so much so her skin was covered in goose bumps. Breathless, she said, “Badly, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“You have done something to me, something I’ve never felt before. You occupy my thoughts every day. I am acting like a lovesick teenager.”

“I know how you feel, and I am a love sick teenager.”

He chuckled at her innocence.

After the championships the previous year, and the three gold medals she brought home, she received a letter from the Olympic Committee informing her she’d been invited to compete in the next Olympics, which would take place in four years. She also swam for the university team. Mr. Clark―her new coach―was very strict, which she didn’t mind at all. She had a lot of support from the university, her classmates, friends, and Aldrich. His constant encouragement with either a phone call or text message uplifted her, and gave her the assurance to excel. She received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from his firm after her last championship in March, and in return thanked the partners with a handwritten note.

The last year of student life would be a very busy one, filled with studies and the Olympics simultaneously, the same year she would turn twenty-one. Time was of the essence, and the last thing she needed was her personal life interfering with her future.

How she and Aldrich would come together, she didn’t know, but she knew that she missed the teddy bear, his warm arms and those gorgeous lips; dreamy. The void when she’d left his arms the night of the dance was still incredibly real to her.

Once outside her room, she noticed that the hallway was thankfully empty, although she could hear the two couples in her parents’ room. The door was closed. At least some of them have modesty.

When she walked downstairs, a big, hairy man who was only wearing a shirt, stood at the bottom of the staircase in full view, rubbing himself. His eyes focused on someone in the living room.

She had to get past him, as well as make her away around him, but knew it would be futile since he left no room for her to do just that. She clutched her bag tightly against her body, her clothes draped over her arm, holding it all between them in order to obscure her view. She really didn’t want to see.

The moment he noticed her, he grabbed her arm with his free hand and pulled her to him with a grin. His breath reeked of smoke and brandy, and his voice was husky with lust. “Come here, doll,” he drawled.

Anabella wanted to shrink in total horror. With her bag, she pushed him away to set herself free, but he managed to grab her breast, ripping two buttons from her shirt. Desperately, she fought hard, not letting go of the bag in her hands. But her clothes fell around her feet, almost tripping her in her haste to get away. By now, she knew she was in trouble. She dug her car keys into his hand, and he released immediately. She managed to pull herself free, running to the front door; her only hope of escape and safety, the bag still clutched in her hand.