Remember Your Purpose: Don't Get Distracted !!!

The truth is every single day of our lives will bring a distraction!  

Whether it's a delay from home, traffic jam making you late for work or appointment, missing a deadline, kids acting up in school or a leaking geyser!  Fact of the matter is ....S#*% HAPPENS!

Something unexpected constantly comes out of the woodwork causing us to put our dreams, our mission, our passions and our plans on hold (yet again) for another day.  Sad thing is, there will always be an excuse to put something off until tomorrow until you decide to make it a priority today.

Although we cannot change the storms that life may bring, we can adjust our wings.  If you learn to see distractions as merely something sent to deter you from your mission and purpose, you will start to recognize that you have the choice of whether to allow that intended distraction to stop you or not.  Life is not about what happens to us but rather how we respond to it, learn from it and grow from it. We can't continue to give up during every "unexpected" moments.

We are the most hardest on ourselves when we expect things to be perfect!  We want the perfect timing, the perfect life, the perfect business, the perfect relationships and the perfect bank accounts when perfection does not exist and is merely the perception of each individual based on his/her morals, values, beliefs and experiences.

Today I challenge you to push through regardless of your circumstances. 

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Transition Time

During major transitions in your life, the enemy will expose itself and those that are no longer aligned on your journey will fall away! Be still knowing that it is simply God cleaning out your closet...don't try to fight it or hang onto things he has thrown out! He is preparing space for those aligned for your next season!

"When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been....but it was too late, she now had WINGS!🦋 " - Dean Jackson

Change scares those who are content with remaining the same so everyone won't understand your new journey, won't be comfortable with it or supportive about it! That is ok...continue to fly anyway, the journey is yours not theirs! You have missions to accomplish and no time to waste! One day they'll know your story but until then keep soaring high and continue to give God the glory! It's time to transform from caterpillar to butterfly my Queens regardless of the naysayers...while they keep talking, you keep praying, slaying and accomplishing unapologetically!

Flourishing Empowered Women

http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com  

IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow 

Twitter: @milkflows 

Being Empowered is Being Self-Aware

As you go through life, you will be exposed to many thoughts and ideas. Sometimes those thoughts and ideas can be so strongly impressed upon you that you begin to believe them and they become part of who you are. 

Being empowered is being self-aware and having self-control. Although you can’t always control what thoughts come to your mind, you can always choose to adjust them or erase them. You can choose if your thoughts become words or actions. You can choose if and how your thoughts affect other people. 

Before you allow a thought to become a thing, I encourage you to fact check it. Take what you think seriously as your thoughts have the power to manifest things into your life, influence the people around you, and impact future generations. 

Just imagine how much different the world would be if all racists and misogynists thought like this.

Flourishing Empowered Women

http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com 

IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow 

Twitter: @milkflows 

The cost of delayed action is high; the cost of no action is even higher

I say this all the time:

1. Identify where your competition is uncomfortable and/or unwilling to go

2. Then go there as hard and as often as you can

The thing is too many businesses think about those words and apply it to themselves but forget that some of their competition are also doing the same thing.

Your competition is always waiting for one of two things to happen:

1. You give up

2. You play it safe - get left behind

Now as entrepreneurs,

One is less likely. 'Giving up' tends to not run in our DNA.

Two is far more likely. Many entrepreneurs ‘play it safe’ and therefore get left behind by their:

A) Market

Or 

B) Competition

Now ‘playing it safe’ can mean a number of different things.

Playing it safe could mean:

[+] Hoarding your cash without ever investing into assets 

[+] Not investing into advertising because “It’s too risky"

[+] Never attempting change up your advertising strategies (Taking risks with new copy, offers, etc…)

[+] Refusing to pay for help because you think you can “do it on your own” (consultants, coaches, better employees, etc…)

The last one draws into the question of what the time value of money is for you.

The bottom lines is, as soon as you stop innovating, taking risks, and setting the bar, that is when your competition moves ahead and takes the lead.

>> As soon as a gazelle forgets that there can be a lion among the grass is when the lion makes its move.

A moving target is always harder to catch than a still target.

What are the best ways to keep moving forward? How do you continue to build your business?

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Empowerment Over Ego

Today's Definition of Women Supporting Women in Social Media Land!!!

I sit back and observe daily.......

• The level of shade thrown constantly
• The hateful competition and the slandering
• The blocking and deleting
• The relishing in other's misery
• The users and opportunists
• The accusations and lack of integrity
• The fact that many of the ones screaming "support" are also the ones doing the backstabbing, blocking and sabotaging...expecting others to bow down and worship them!

·

Then there are those who use quotes from the #bible to justify their indiscretions whenever they can! Not to mention the fake clapping, smiling and passive aggressiveness!

What hurts the most with everything is that these things often come from those claiming to be advocates for "Women Supporting Women!"

It seems like nowadays some sisterhoods are just another glorified way of telling the next woman...."you can't sit with us!"

Yes, this is the new Social Media world we live in!!!

With just one click of a button people have become experts in fields they've NEVER mastered and provide lessons in subjects they've never taken, while God has become the justified reason for stealing work from the competition and tearing down anyone who seems to be doing better than them has become the new mission!

This is now the world we live in!

WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER my #Queens!

Just my humble opinion! 

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

iKamva Le Zintombi: Peers in Pyjama Drive

A lot of times when we get together, we empower and learn from one another. That’s self-serving.

But this time iKamva Le Zintombi is reaching out to the mass for even a greater purpose. Winter is here and the ladies have started a Pyjama drive for all sizes and genders until the 1^st of June 2018. As you prepare for winter, please consider our brothers and sisters out there who are not fortunate enough to keep themselves warm.

We might never get to meet the people we are helping but this is for a great trajectory.

As we give we open hearts, we sending a message of hope to those in the cold out there, telling them this is not the end of their chapter.

Let us strive to introduce hope, inject solutions with a method and a plan. Giving back has never made anyone poor.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Wing it, Then Win it!!!

The truth that’s not always told is that, most of the successful people you know "winged" it to the top!  ...

No amount of degrees and titles can spiritually prepare you for the daily challenges of life and no amount of money can surpass God's anointing and favour over your life!

People will tell you that you can't make it because you don't have a degree; you don't have money or you are not part of a certain "clique"....don't believe the hype my dear! There are people with money, degrees and cliques still not making it! 

The truth is no one can see the future and no one knows what tomorrow brings. Many successes are the result of trial and error...more than once! Stop letting a lack of funds, support and education stop you from moving forward! 

All it takes is one huge leap of faith to move mountains! Show up daily, research your industry, read books, go to classes, learn from the best ...then take that next step! Trust me when I say God will handle the rest! 

"WING" it, then "WIN" it my friend!  

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Dear Boss Lady, Sacrifices Are Made To Succeed!!!

Do not envy a successful woman! Even though success looks pretty, what you don't see is the behind the scenes sacrifice that is required to achieve it!

• You don't see the moments when she sacrifices entertainment for work
•   You don't see the times when she struggles financially to see her dreams become a reality!
•  You don’t see the late nights she spends planning
•  You don't see the times she gets tired or discouraged but pushes herself to show up anyway!
• You don't see the things she gives away for free or to charity
• You dont see how much she prays.

If a woman reaches a level that you admire...just know that she earned it and deserves it! Don't hate on her, be motivated by her. If she can do it, so can you...just be ready to SACRIFICE like she did too! 

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DIE ONE YEAR FROM TODAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO AND HOW WOULD YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?

Most of us don’t like thinking about death. It freaks us out. But thinking about our own death surprisingly has a lot of practical advantages. One of those advantages is that it forces us to zero in on what’s actually important in our lives and what’s just frivolous and distracting.

Think about your lives in a different way and re-evaluate what your priorities were.

What is your legacy going to be? What are the stories people are going to tell when you’re gone? What is your obituary going to say? Is there anything to say at all? If not, what would you like it to say? How can you start working towards that today? And again, if you fantasize about your obituary saying a bunch of badass shit that impresses a bunch of random other people, then again, you’re failing here.

When people feel like they have no sense of direction, no purpose in their life, it’s because they don’t know what’s important to them, they don’t know what their values are.

And when you don’t know what your values are, then you’re essentially taking on other people’s values and living other people’s priorities instead of your own. This is a one-way ticket to unhealthy relationships and eventual misery.

Discovering one’s “purpose” in life essentially boils down to finding those one or two things that are bigger than yourself, and bigger than those around you. It’s not about some great achievement, but merely finding a way to spend your limited amount of time well. And to do that you must get off your couch and act, and take the time to think beyond yourself, to think greater than yourself, and paradoxically, to imagine a world without yourself.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Passion is the result of action, not the cause of it.

For many of us, the enemy is just old-fashioned complacency. We get into our routines. We distract ourselves. The couch is comfortable. Eating is the order of the day and nothing new happens.

This is a problem.

What most people don’t understand is that passion is the result of action, not the cause of it.

Discovering what you’re passionate about in life and what matters to you is a full-contact sport, a trial-and-error process. None of us know exactly how we feel about an activity until we actually do the activity.

So ask yourself, if someone put a gun to your head and forced you to leave your house every day for everything except for sleep & eating, how would you choose to keep busy? And note, being on social media doesn't count, that's what you do every day already. You probably already do that. 

Let’s pretend you don't have a phone and can't escape to social media and you no choice but to be outside of the house all day every day until it’s time to go to bed — where would you go and what would you do?

Sign up for a dance class? Join a book club? Go get another degree? Invent a new form of irrigation system that can save the thousands of children in Africa? 

What would you do with all of that time?

If it helps, write down a few answers, go out and actually do them. Bonus points if it involves embarrassing yourself.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Ikamva le Zintombi - Women Empowerment through Hiking

Nolwandle  Radebe Masekela - Founder of Ikamva Le Zintombi

While I’m in no position or fit enough for hiking, Ikamva le Zintombi was not about to make any excuses or allow the weather to spoil their plan to hike into success. 

The ladies had so much fun, trusted each other through the rails and most importantly, empowerment took place. 

Take a look at the pictures below.

The Starting Point

Happy Girls are the prettiest 

Good Energy

Sharing is Caring

I don't know how she got there but I love the spirit!!

Yes Girl!!!!

Still looking Fresh 

Still on it

See the Excitement .. Yesss!!

The courage...Jeez!!!

They made it

This looks like one of the best experience and best way to network.

Thandazo Mabena - Founder of Ikusasa Lethu

Here’s what Thandazo Mabena had to say about the experience ...

“Lesson learned: 

Hiking is just like the situations we face/come across every day. You can't run away from them but face have to them because it's not permanent; in order to overcome you must feel the pain, conquer and have a testimony afterwards.

Some of us wanted to give up but because it was impossible to go back, we were forced to go forward and guess what? We conquered QUEENS!!! 

After I've learned that I did 7km I shed a tear of joy. I MADE IT!!! Now I know what to do when I'm faced with a pressing calamity that looks like a wall in my life.

I love you my beautiful sisters….POWER_HOUSE QUEEN !!!

With such masses of women supporting each other, then nothing can stop women from succeeding, become better mothers, leaders of this world and role models to every girl child out there. 

What a great start Ikamva le Zintombi, we truly support your movement. 

Follow Ikamva le Zintombi on Facebook and be part of the of the movement.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Practice Gratitude Daily

Gratitude makes what we have enough!!!!

PROBLEM: With the rise of Social Media, it can be easy to focus on the lifestyle and success of others more than we do our own! More and more people are comparing their lives with others, not realizing this serves no purpose in their own personal growth.

EFFECT: Always focusing on what we do not have can lead to feelings of resentment, envy, unhappiness and depression if we constantly pay attention to what's missing in our lives and never focus on the things we should be thankful for! 

SOLUTION: We must understand that what we focus on expands. If we continue to focus on what we do not have then we continue receiving more of what we don't want. The key to success and manifesting the things we desire in life is to practice being grateful for EVERYTHING (no matter how small) that we have! 

Be thankful for things like life, air, water, for a roof over your head and food on the table because focusing on those things raise your spiritual vibration in order to allow more things for you to be grateful for to flow right in.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Self Discovery: How Can You Better Embarrass Yourself

A lot of times we wonder what is it that we can do with ourselves or what is our life purpose. The problem is that we fail to ask ourselves questions that might lead us to discover ways to get where we want to go.

Then again before you are able to be good at something and do something important, you must first suck at something and have no clue what you’re doing. That’s pretty obvious. And in order to suck at something and have no clue what you’re doing, you must embarrass yourself in some shape or form, often repeatedly. And most people try to avoid embarrassing themselves, namely because it sucks.

Due to the transitive property of awesomeness, if you avoid anything that could potentially embarrass you, then you will never end up doing anything that feels important.

Yes, it seems that once again, it all comes back to vulnerability.

Right now, there’s something you want to do, something you think about doing, something you fantasize about doing, yet you don’t do it. You have your reasons, no doubt. You repeat these reasons to yourself over and over.

But what are those reasons? Because I can tell you right now that if those reasons are based on what others would think, then you’re screwing yourself over big time.

If your reasons are something like, “I can’t start a business because spending time with my kids is more important to me,” then OK. Sounds good to me.

But if your reasons are, “My parents would hate it,” or “My friends would make fun of me,” or “If I failed, I’d look like an idiot,” then chances are, you’re actually avoiding something you truly care about because caring about that thing is what scares the shit out of you, not what mom thinks or what Ammy next door says.

Living a life avoiding embarrassment is akin to living a life with your head in the sand.

Great things are, by their very nature, unique and unconventional. Therefore, to achieve them, we must go against the herd mentality. And to do that is scary.

Embrace embarrassment. Feeling foolish is part of the path to achieving something important, something meaningful. The more a major life decision scares you, chances are the more you need to be doing it.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Time Management: The Break Down

By now you must have an idea of how you’ll be managing your time and get productive every day. Before I let you in on a plan that works I must say this, If you can still find time to gossip, watch reality tv, play video games, watch movies all night long, hang out with friends, scroll on social media, sleep until late, chat for hours on the phone and shop at the mall all day long....then my friends, you have more than enough time on your hands. Get rid of unnecessary distractions.

Lay the foundation for effectively managing your time.

Delegating the appropriate amount of time to get adequate sleep, maintain a healthy diet and exercising regularly are all essential elements to improve both focus and concentration. Making the time to create a healthy lifestyle will help improve your efficiency throughout the day, allowing for more time to complete other tasks.

Identify and evaluate how you are currently spending your time.

If you drive to work, how do you pass the time during your commute? If you take a bus or train, how do you spend all those hours a week? How many audiobooks or language tapes could you have completed while in traffic last month? How many books could you read on the train while getting to and from work the next few weeks?

These are the best times throughout your day to incorporate all those little things that you “wished” you had time for. Over time, these habits become a lifestyle, and you will find yourself well ahead of the pack.

Say no to nonessential tasks and prioritize the ones of extreme value.

Consider your goals and look at your schedule before agreeing to take on more work. If a task is time consuming but not necessarily important to the main goal, pass it off or add it to the bottom of the list.

Dedicate time blocks and limit distractions.

Everyone has a place where they work the most effectively. Some people love to have music in their earbuds, while others need complete silence. Some people can work just as efficiently from their dining table as they can in a library cubicle. Wherever that place is, utilize it. Turn the television off, silence the cell phone, put away the tablet and dedicate complete focus to the task at hand. No responding to texts, no browsing the web.

When you operate your life in a healthy, organized fashion, and are able to execute daily tasks efficiently, stress is reduced, productivity increases and overall satisfaction manifests.

Never hesitate to take a break if needed.

Everyone gets worn out from time to time and piling on more and more tasks leads to stress that will simply derail you from the mission at hand. Take a walk, go to the gym, get some fresh air or take that sick day you’ve been holding out on. Sometimes all we need is a moment of clarity and solitude to clear our overworked minds and recharge our bodies to give us that next big push.

After all, time management is really life management.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Time Management

Many times when asked about trying to reach our daily tasks, monthly goals or yearly dreams, we will often blame a lack of time for not being able to accomplish them but the truth is that we all have enough time when we learn to prioritize, organize and strategize accordingly.

Time is one of life’s most valuable possessions, as it is something you can never get back. Subsequently, one of the most essential life skills to master is time management. After all, time management is really life management. Learning how to make every day count for something is the objective. But it takes ridding your life of procrastination and a great deal of self-discipline.

Mastering time management does more than just increase productivity. It can yield important health benefits as well. When time is managed wisely, it minimizes stress and improves the overall quality of your life.

If you often find yourself run down by your daily workload or overwhelmed by the complexity of projects and tasks in your life, it is likely because you have not fully mastered effective time management. As the day flies by, you realize you’re behind, or you are on schedule only because you haven’t put forth your best effort in hopes of completion.

Nothing great ever transcends from haste. Cutting corners will eventually catch up to you, and as with anything, quality always beats quantity.

This week we will look at ways to manage our time correctly so that we not only enjoy our life but make progress with our daily tasks, monthly goals.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Jump and Make Sacrifices - Work for Your Goals

There are a lot of people that want change but not many who are willing to make the changes for the change to happen.

The dreams and aspirations we have are all within us to achieve.

We just have to be prepared to make the steps towards by making the small sacrifices that move us away from our goals.

It only happens when you are brave and courageous enough to go make it happen. Stop procrastinating.

You have to jump and make sacrifices for a better life. Be prepared to work for your goals. ‍

The magic happens when you light that fire within and go make it a reality. 

Believe in yourself with complete certainty and you will be surprised by the results. 

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Show Up and Keep The Fire Burning

Sometimes we may feel as we are failing when we don't hit the goals we set ourselves.

We beat ourselves up, question ourselves, feel defeated and start thinking we’re not good enough. Then there are days we feel alone, no one supporting us and everyone says no.

That's all part of the learning and we have to keep going even if we miss the goals. Reset them and start again.

We achieve the goals we want in life by refusing to give up and keep that fire inside burning when it gets tough.

Giving up is not an option regardless of how hard it may seem.

Keep showing up!!!  

Why? ....because those with success stories all have one thing in common, they kept SHOWING UP even when everything in them was telling them to give up! The process cannot be rushed but it will worth it! 

Remember why you started! 

Keep growing and have faith!!!!!

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Dare to be different - Be Yourself

Can't stress enough how important authenticity and integrity is in business.

You have a voice, use it. It's so much more powerful than copying someone else's or trying to fit in. 

Own your boldness and your purpose.

It's what will give you drive every single day and really connect to flow.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Stand Up For Yourself - Learn to say "NO"

Truth be said, there are no personal boundaries without ‘no’.

In the world where you are expected to constantly keep up, be on top of your game and always have it together, I learned to say this word. I always thought I had to agree and say yes most of the time.

Be a good friend, be pleasant and reliable. For a long time it seemed like I had no choice but to take on everything that was asked of me.

How could I say no to a friend who depends on me? How is possible for me to draw a line at work and admit to the already impossible workload ahead?

I didn’t want to let anyone down. I didn’t want to show that I was ‘weak’ or incapable. I simply didn’t want to have an honest conversation about what I truly wanted and felt.

In all honesty, I wasn’t courageous enough. I wasn’t listening to myself.

In a world that expected me to always say yes, I began to say no. I saw how through these ‘no’s, I was able to shape my life and fill it with things that I actually wanted.

By connecting within, I saw that no one was ever stepping into my personal space and blurring the boundaries. I just didn’t take a stance for what I wanted and what was important to me.

But this is the beginning of a life where I am free of overwhelm and in alignment with myself.

Now I say no, will you?

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows

Hiking with Ikamva Le Zintombi

Ikamva Le Zintombi is a platform empowering women, dealing with the mind, body and the soul of each individual who have passion and aspire to lead. The "movement" consists of a Book club, single mothers outreach, phenomenal queens who once dropped their crowns and forgot their worth, but will strive to rise against all odds.

This year, the ladies will be starting the year on a high note and invite you at a hiking trip.

If you want to be an achiever, then I suggest you team up with these phenomenal women and meet them at Hennops Hiking Trail on the 24^th February 2018. The program starts at 7pm, expected to be comfortable in your hiking gear, carry a note pad and don’t forget your bag of resolutions.

Make a deposit of R150(entrance and braai). Please see the flyer for baking details.

Follow Ikamva Le Zintombi on facebook and stay in touch with the winning team.

Flourishing Empowered Women
http://flowrishingtheewomen.blogspot.com
IG: @flowrishingwomen @milkflow
Twitter: @milkflows