I saw this on Instagram on @stephanspeaks page and immediately I thought to write a blog post (even though I hadn't written one in a while). 

When you have more than temporary pleasures on your mind, just chilling with someone to pass time doesn’t sound appealing. It's easy to laugh and have fun with almost anyone. And, chemistry, well you can get that pretty quickly as well. You know that feeling of "oh my gosh I feel like we've known each other forever..."?  Meeting someone with similar goals and spiritual beliefs is much more difficult, but I believe it's worth it.

When something isn't common, you have a deeper appreciation for it when you get it. 

There is so much value in knowing your worth. Don't settle. But, on the flip side, make sure you are everything the type of person you're desiring to get with would like to have as well. Afterall, you don't want your dream man settling either, right? For example, if you are looking to marry someone that is going to lead y...

One thing I've learned is, I must WRITE if I call myself a writer. Thinking about the ideas, no matter how great they are, is not good enough. Ideas don't jump up and form into words on the computer by themselves. Books and blog posts do not appear on their own (although I wish they would). I've had to learn that I must sit  and do the work in order to see my vision become a reality. This might sound  basic and like something  that shouldn't have taken much thought. I know some of you may be thinking DUH. But, I am writing this for people like who like me sit and come up with  great ideas and maybe even talk about what you want to do with your friends or family, but you never get started. You can also check out my post about getting rid of the BUT that becomes a roadblock on the path to you reaching your goals. Why haven't you started your business, written your book, started your website, etc.? I know I have had many excuses in the past. I'll show you my list of excuses...

Since I've released my novel, Impact, you can get your copy on Amazon or an ebook version HERE .I have felt a sense of relief. It's a long process and, honestly it's quite scary to put your thoughts and creativity out for all of the world to see. I have talked myself out of finishing my book so many times because of thoughts that no one would read it, or if they did, they wouldn't like it. Then, I thought BUT what if people do read it, like it, and learn from it... 

I've noticed that many of the things I WANT to do are NOT usually done because of the BUT that follows. I notice myself saying  things like "I want to write a blog post BUT I don't have time" or "I want to talk to ____ about _____ BUT I don't feel comfortable having that conversation". I am learning that sometimes having a BUT can stop us from being better. The word but, in any situation, turns it around. If you hear someone say "I was going to bring you some money but---" they don't even have to finish the sentenc...

Dear Newly Divorced You,

Right now, you look like a woman, but you’re really just a little girl in a woman’s body. It’s okay, no need to feel offended, I’m sure a lot of women have been there before. You’re lost, but you don’t look like it. Empty, but you don’t realize it…yet. Going on vacations and spending money on clothes and shoes to hang out  in will never bring you joy.  Yeah, you’ll feel happy for a while, but when it’s all over, you’re going to realize that you have a lot of self discovering to do. Sure, you had a failed marriage and you want to feel true happiness, but you won’t find it spending time in the VIP section of any club. Nope, not even the one that EVERYBODY goes to. The people you meet there are only going to enjoy hanging out with you for the moment. And, no, that guy that told you to “hit him up later” isn’t really going to keep in touch with you either. In fact, he probably doesn’t know which female you are when you text or call because he gave his number out to...

If you have been following my blog for the last couple of posts then you know that I have been on this journey to free myself from the fears that have for far too long held me back from living life at my greatest potential.

At one point, I truly thought that me being a single mom, being divorced, not having enough time, resources, and no one that really cared about what I had to say stop me from sharing messages. Since i can remember, I have wanted to start a blog and share my knowledge and past experiences with other women, but I had so many excuses it’s unreal. I realized that only I could change my life. Only I could shed some light on my own darkness and pick my foot up and kick fear right out of my path. I used to read and listen to so many people talk about how if you change the way you think you could change your life and I would close the book or walk away and say things like, “Well, yeah that worked for her, but it will never work for me” or “It was easy for her to do that beca...

After reading Marianne Williamson’s inspiring quote on our deepest fear for about the 500th time in my life, it finally clicked. It’s not my excuses have held me back from accomplishing things, it’s me. I’ve been guilty of talking myself out of reaching my own goals. Within the last month or so, I’ve began to delve into my own version of Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes. My sister and I read and enjoyed the book so much that we did a YouTube video on it. You can check it out:

Delving into the crevices of my life, by reading a lot of self help books, listening to empowering podcasts (Myleik Teele’s in particular), and doing a lot of self reflection has caused me to reach the horrifying conclusion that I have been my biggest hurdle in accomplishing my goals. I thought my excuses were legit. They were things like: I don’t have time, I don’t have the proper resources, I only have one income in the home—I can’t afford to…(blah, blah, blah).  But, as I began to dig deeper into the success of others...

Hey y'all! It's summer time and we all know what that means...the kids are out of school and IN THE PANTRY always looking for snacks to eat. My boys seem to have bottomless pits. I found two very helpful apps and I want to help you save on groceries like I've been able to do for the last couple of months. I'll even start off by helping you get $10.00 added to your account.

KEEP READING --------> 

If you're anything like me, you stand at the checkout line in the grocery store wondering what in the world caused your total to be as high as it is. I make my list (and check it twice) LOL! No, but seriously, it never fails, when I go to the store SOMETHING unnecessary "jumps" into my shopping basket. Even when I tell myself that I'm going to stick to my list. I try my best to shop once a week, usually on the weekends, because going to the store during the week for me is nearly impossible. I don't like standing in long lines after work---and cooking dinner late??? Ummm, that's just not me. I lo...

Being that I am an avid reader and an author, one of my favorite apps on my phone is Scribd. I recently listened to Laila Ali’s podcast which featured Sarah Jakes Roberts.Click here to listen. The interview prompted me to quickly search for reviews on Sarah's latest book, “Don’t Settle for Safe: Embracing the Uncomfortable to Become Unstoppable”.

I follow Sarah on Instagram and I often read her blog posts, I've read many (if not all of her posts) so I thought I was going to be reading a book filled with information I already knew. On the contrary, the book was more than just a book informing me about why I need to step into my gift. Through her words, Sarah helped me to get a new step in my stride. She got me all the way together with her candid insights and references to her past.  A flame has been reignited in a fire within me that had started to go out. Sometimes the battles we fight in life feel like they are customized for us. It isn’t until someone like Sarah comes along and...

I put a question mark in the title because I see a lot of posts about embracing singleness and how being single is great! It's not that I believe it's bad, it is good--if you learn from it.  But, I contemplate whether the people who post and blog about being a happily single are really what they portray. Yes, I'm aware that there are some people that truly enjoy single life. And, I'm not knocking that. But, I also feel that some of the people that put up Memes and posts declaring their independence or love of being single have found more of a job out of posting those things than actually meaning it.
 

Personally, I choose to use my season of singleness as a time to grow and prepare for married life. The first time I did the whole marriage thing--I obviously wasn't successful. I believe that there are improvements to be made on both sides of any failed relationship, so I don't solely blame my ex for the demise of our marriage.
 

What am I doing to prepare?

I read books on being a g...

I battled with writing about this, because I didn’t want to sound too preachy. I’m no saint and I am by far perfect. But, I guess that’s what makes me eligible to speak on this subject. And, if my journey can help someone else along the way, then I'm happy to share my thoughts. These days it’s easy to post a picture or a quote that talks about how you’re down for God. It’s even easier to see one on someone else’s page and “like” it. The hard part comes in actually WALKING out what we SAY we believe in. As a divorced woman with two children, it’s obvious that I’m not a virgin. It’s easy to get caught up in the notion that not having sex before marriage is old fashioned and no one does that anymore especially if you’ve already crossed that line. I was one of those people who thought: what’s the big deal if you really care about the person? You might marry them, right? But the question for other people who think like that is: what happens when you and that person break up or you just do...

We live in a world that has become an electronic popularity contest. People only post what they want you to see. They give you a glimpse of their personal world (even when you think they are baring it all.) Yet we still look at other people's social media feeds and become envious of the lives they lead. The truth is, that although social media can be used as a great networking tool, for some it has become a huge distraction. 

Some people are so "thirsty" for likes and attention that they will say anything or post pics of themselves doing degrading things. All for a bunch of people they proabably don't even know to press a button. Don't over expose yourself (your body or your business) just for people to give you the one second it takes to press the "like" button. This is your life and it's more than just being popular it's about having character and integrity---every day. You don't want people in your business? Then, stop sharing it with everyone. I see too many people using Facebook...

Call me crazy, a hater, or whatever you want, but celebrating Valentine's Day, has become highly commercialized. Many, people (not all) are celebrating "the day of love" because it is what is expected not because they truly desire to be romantic. Now, before I get into this understand that I'm not downing the act of showing love to your significant other. But as far as I'm concerned, it's not a day that has to be highly prioritized...especially if someone does acts of kindness or professes their love on a regular basis. Having an appointed day for someone spend money on roses, chocolates, stuffed animals, or jewelry (well maybe the jewelry is okay...just kidding) is not me. I am such a lover of love and all that it encompasses, but I feel that love should be shown all year round. 

Valentine's Day has become a spring board for showing off the appearance of love and affection rather than it being a day truly reserved for celebrating love. It looks good on the outside to receive...

Strength. It's a word that this society is oh so familiar with. It seems that every other post I see is about being stronger than your storm or how no one saw the rough times but you made it out on top...never to be weakened again. It seems that lately I've been seeing so much geared toward being a strong woman or how women carry the weight of the world on their backs. And, it's not that I'm against any of that. I am a woman who has definitely been through more than what she looks like she has. I am divorced and I am raising two boys (with lots of family support and their father is very present in their lives) so I get it! Sometimes the struggle is so real! I've been through days where I wake up and feel like "Really!? This can't be life." I have more great days than rough ones but that change didn't come without me doing a lot of soul searching, praying, crying, and talking things out with my friends and family. I had to come to terms with who I am as a person...not Richelle the mom,...

We gotta stop allowing our feelings to rule us. So, you get lonely every once in a while? Guess what!?? FEELINGS AREN'T FACTS tell those feelings to chill! You won't always be in the season you're in...don't settle for mediocre.

Dear2015,

Before I say goodbye, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the lessons you taught me and thank you for the beautiful memories that I will forever hold on to. There is no greater teacher than life itself. One of the greatest lessons I learned from you is that feelings aren't facts. And, when I make decisions from now on, I can't base them solely off of how I feel. It's more so, realizing: future > feelings. See, feelings come and go. They change quickly, but the decisions you make because of your feelings can change your life...sometimes it's for the better and sometimes it's not. I also learned that when l feel something "in my gut" it's God nudging me to make a move. And when He tells me to move--I better or it makes for an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes going against what others think you should do is difficult but I've learned that when you truly believe in something you've got to stand for it...period! I also learned that sometimes you have to let go of things, p...