Monday, August 17, 2015

Brandy Poole - Pointers for Success

 (Brandy Poole – Pointers for Success  were excerpted from a post I found in the Facebook group-Crowned Her! Step Into Your Purpose – Lifestyle Empowerment) The titles are written by Brandy Poole but the content is submitted by me. 

Define this week’s top three goals
Brandy Poole's Monday Checklist

Goal setting is paramount to being successful at whatever you desire to accomplish. This road map defines the steps you must take in order to arrive at your destination at the appointed time or rather to achieve the desired results. To prevent overloading your production circuit boards, try to keep the number of your weekly goals between three and four. This way, you are not overwhelmed with too many “things to do.” Some of us have a tendency to “withdraw” when we start to feel overwhelmed, telling ourselves that we need to take a break. That break often turns into “Procrastination” – not your friend. Do not try to achieve too many things at once.




Remember,Rome was not built in a day but rather brick by brick, steady as she goes. You will get there with consistent small manageable steps. This is your personal race. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Run it at your own pace.



Create a social media post schedule:

This is a powerful strategy because it allows you to set up an entire week’s worth of work at a single setting. This eliminates the power of distractions to take you away from your intended tasks for the week. I know that “distractions” is one of the hurdles I face in ministry and in business but a firm schedule keeps me on target.  Fortunately, with the new social media features that allow you to schedule a post, you can set up your posts for the day or for the week. Write out your posts while you are in that creative flow and you will never be stuck with what to post next. There is a specific time of day or night where my creativity flares up and numerous ideas of what to post come to me. If I decide to keep the title in a folder or file, I rarely go back to it. If I do manage to come across it again, I’ve lost the creative fuel that caused me to come up with the title in the first place. So, here’s a word to the wise: when you get that creative thought, go immediately to your social media outlet, write out your thoughts and schedule them for posting at a later time. Thankfully, with my blog, I can do the same thing.  Gotta love that “Schedule” feature. What a lifesaver!



Meet someone new and inspiring/network:

A great way to get “unstuck” in your business and to grow your community reach is to meet someone new and develop a relationship with them. Be interested in what’s happening in someone else’s life or business. If there is someone you are inspired by, try to connect with them and bask in the glow of their creativity. No one ever became great by himself or herself, despite the term “self-made”. We are created for connecting with other people. Come out of the shadows, stop hiding behind your excuses and your fears, and step into the light. You won’t meet with destiny by hiding in the shadows. In fact, you may be the “new and inspiring” one that someone else is looking to network with. The gifts and talents that we have been given are not for us. They have been designed specifically to give to others. So get out there and smile, be interested and be entertaining. Try being the person you’d like to meet. You just might surprise yourself.


Act of kindness for a loved one (or anyone)

Random acts of kindness are as rare as hen’s teeth. A random act of kindness is more powerful than you can imagine. Just suppose that the little act of kindness you do for someone- anyone- is actually the answer to their prayers. It may seem a small thing to you, but to the person you become a blessing to, it could mean the difference between hope and despair. Additionally, it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. Such a wonderful reward comes with knowing you were the one who made the difference in that person’s life today. Words cannot describe the joy of being a blessing to someone. For maximum reward, be sure you do this act of kindness, expecting nothing in return and with as little fanfare as possible. Be kind to someone who can offer you nothing in return, except maybe gratitude. What you do in secret, God rewards openly.

Take a new contact out for libation:

Now, Brandy used the term “libation” but I think I will alter this statement just a little as “libation” is usually poured in honor of a deity, a sort of “liquid sacrificial offering.” Why take a new contact out for a drink? It could be coffee as well as an alcoholic beverage, if that is your persuasion. But, the purpose is not the drink itself, but rather the conversation around that moment in time. It is one of the most basic of business activities and combines a social event with a business event. Many business deals have been closed around a casual conversation over drinks. People often relax and share their authentic selves over cocktails, especially when they are free.  When you treat someone, it puts a smile on their face and a “yes” in their hearts. Consider it an investment in your business, but by all means, be genuinely interested in what that person has to say (whether or not its business related). It’s the ultimate warm up or wrap up to a very good business deal.

Research your industry’s recent trends

This is by far my favorite point as given by Brandy Poole. In the words of a successful trainer, author and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn:

Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”

The best thing you can do for your business is to stay current on what’s trending now. Did you know that if you read one book a month on your chosen field of industry, you would have the equivalent of an Associate’s Degree in that subject?

If you neglect to stay on top of your industry, you can be assured of being on the bottom of the success ladder. So get in there. Challenge yourself to read 100 books, with at least 12 of them being related to your industry. Never forget, “the more you learn, the more you earn.” – Jim Rohn




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Thursday, August 13, 2015

Earn 6 Years of Commission With One Sale

Money is looking for you, always. The thing you are seeking is always seeking you. The moment you move towards it, it starts moving towards you. Your desire for more attracts more.

If you know anything about affiliate marketing, you know it can take a lot of sales to create a substantial income, unless you are working with High Ticket Sales. FREE Online Webinar reveals the secret to High Ticket Commissions.


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Tune in this week to discover these secrets for FREE! Sit in tonight or tomorrow at 7pm eastern to get this tool that will make the difference between working harder and working smarter.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Do you have any idea...

Imagine your child comes to you and asks for money to go to the mall with friends or perhaps they need new shoes, new clothes or school fees. How would it make you feel if you never had to say "We can't afford it" ever again?

It's possible and it's made possible because of an idea. An idea whose time has come is the most powerful thing on planet earth. Everywhere you look, everything you see is the result of an “idea”. 

The car you drive, the place you live, the food you eat and anything else you can see with your eyes is the fruit of an idea. That is why the well-known entrepreneur Napoleon Hill could say, “Anything the mind can conceive, you can achieve.” Actually I believe it was Jesus who first said, “All things are possible to him who believes and nothing shall be impossible to them that believe.


If you have an idea, you are sitting on a gold mine, but like all gold mines, you have to pick up your tools and begin the “mining” process. Gold does not just leap from the ground into the jewelry store. Someone must dig for it; another will refine it and still a third will design it into a product so that it is appealing to you, the consumer. It is the same principle at work with the idea that you have. Every idea must have its process. It is amazing to me that once you begin the process of mining an idea, multiple streams of creativity open up to you and thus, you can create multiple streams of income from a single idea.


Many people despair because of a lack of money. Marriages are dissolved because of it; companies lay off workers and sometimes even go bankrupt because of it. Families are destroyed for the lack of it. The truth of the matter is “it is not that we have run out of money, but rather we have run out of ideas to make money.”- Suzanne Evans When I heard that concept, I shifted my mindset. I remembered the teaching in  the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad when it comes to money matters. Robert Kiyosaki teaches us to lose the mentality of “I can’t afford it” and replace it with “How can I afford it?” When we ask ourselves this question, we arouse our creative faculties, which generate ideas, and ideas generate income.



What is your mindset today? Do you ever look at a product or service and say, “I would but I can’t afford it?” If this is you, let me submit to you today that what you need is a fresh idea. Shift your mindset today. Ask yourself today, “How can I afford it? What can I do to obtain it? What are my options, really?”  If you can conceive it and believe it, you can have it.








WRITE YOUR OWN PAYCHECK


This Thursday, I am offering a free tele-class on how YOU can make your passion your paycheck. I want to show you how to take what you already know, (your idea) and turn it into cash flow.  Be sure to sign up for it and invite someone you know who has “run out of money” to join you. 




 Sign up for "Make Your Passion Your Paycheck" here.

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Thursday, July 2, 2015

A Few of My Favorite Things

Sorry, I've been away, totally consumed with finishing my book, "Apprehending the Kingdom". Now that it's done, I can catch up with all of you. Something wonderful happened to me yesterday so I'd like to share it with you. Here goes:


I like museums, art and architecture, Shakespeare and medieval movies with kings and queens and knights and such.

I like classical music and symphony orchestras.      


I like traveling to faraway places and experiencing new foods and meeting new people groups.

I’ve always wanted to go to an amphitheater and sit on the grass and watch a dramatic production or concert of some kind.

I like British TV and murder mysteries.

These are a few of my favorite things.

Yesterday when I was struggling to bring in the groceries, I stepped over a business card laying on the stoop. I wondered about it as I passed but of course my hands were full and I could not stop to pick it up. I thought about the fact that it looked brand new, fresh out of the box. I managed to throw myself and the groceries into the house and let out  a huge sigh of relief. But that card was there in the back of my mind. My sister came tumbling through the door with her load of groceries, letting me know that the heavy pork roast was still in the car waiting for me to carry it in. She had already declared that she was not about to do it. S.o I went out again and the card whispered to me, compelling me to pick it up. So I did. Across the top it read, “The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov” along with the dates, time and location it was playing. I flipped it over and the top line read: “Sweetteashakespeare.com”. Did that say Shakespeare? And Sweet tea? Only in the south. I managed to rescue the heavy pork roast from the car and make my retreat back to the coolness of the house, clutching the card in my free hand.

Just before I turned the lights out for the night, I turned my laptop back on to find out what in the world sweet tea and Shakespeare had in common. I discovered that this group puts on theatrical shows outside where you have to bring your own blanket and sit in the grass or bring your own chair. It’s location read: @the museum on Cape Fear Historical Society. I could not believe my eyes. I had been wondering if there were any museums in our area but had not gotten around to searching them out. There, in my hand, I held the key to my heart’s desires. Well at least a few of them. I could have my museum, Shakespeare or other playwrights, outside in the grass. In addition to that, they served free sweet tea and lemonade. I closed my laptop and my eyes, and drifted off to sleep, very, very satisfied. My God really does give you the desires of your heart when you make him your first delight. 

Did I mention that I love history…?





Friday, May 15, 2015

All Successful People Are...


Creatures of Habit.


I was walking through the house for 5 minutes in search of my water glass. I wanted that particular glass/cup because it has a straw in it and I drink more water when I use it. I traipsed back and forth down the short hallway, revisiting all the places I would normally set it down. It wasn't beside the couch. It wasn't beside the bed. It wasn't on the coaster on the dresser. It wasn't on the kitchen counter. I carved a small rut in the carpet as I repeated the cycle a number of times and was beginning to feel like something must really be wrong with me. Have you ever done that? 

I finally decided to use a different cup since I had no other option if I was to drink water.  As I tipped the cup up and leaned my head back to drink, I spied my favorite water glass. There it stood, in all of it’s glory, on the counter that divides the kitchen from the living room. What! I never put it there… normally. That just does not happen. Then I realized that I had passed the cup 5 or 6 times in my search and never saw it. It could only have been 5-12 inches from my shoulder as I walked by it repeatedly.

Now why didn’t I see it? It is because we are creatures of habit. I could not fathom that the glass would be any place other than where I always sit it down. Because of that belief, I was blinded to the obvious. Yet there it stood, patiently waiting to be reclaimed. If it would have had eyes, they would have rolled back in its head as I passed by it yet again.

We form habits by repeatedly doing the same thing.  We then wear a groove in our subconscious mind. Once we are “in the groove” so to speak, we can do or see nothing else because we are actually on autopilot, not thinking…just following the groove. We cease to be aware of our surroundings.

Success in life can also be put on autopilot but you must first cultivate a “success” habit. Mike Murdock teaches that your lack of success can be attributed to something you are doing or not doing in your daily routine.

Some success habits to cultivate each day:

1    1.       Have a written plan for the day
2.       Work in 15 minute bursts, walk away for 5 minutes and get back on it.
3.       Schedule activities on a time planner
4.       Schedule in some pleasure for the work day or week
5.       Keep your goals in plain sight of your work area


These are just a few things that you can do daily to create a Success Autopilot. What are your daily success habits? Consistency is the key.




You can also find me on BlogTalkRadio.com on Waves of Glory every Tuesday morning at 10:00 am Eastern. We also have on-demand episodes available for download.

Email us to subscribe to The MarketPlace Connection or
visit us at www.yourmarketplaceapostle.com

Email address:  successinlifeti@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Virtuous Woman - A Market Place Mogul




Success in life is simply a matter of knowing who you are and what gifts you possess. Once that is determined, then just go out there and do it. God has given you everything that pertains to life and godliness.

 MarketPlace MogulOur emphasis this month for our Radio Blog (Waves of Glory)  is going to be The Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31. You will be amazed at how you relate to her. Since working on this topic, she has affected me deeply. The virtuous woman is a woman who lives life to the fullest in every area and does not fear the future because she knows her God and does exploits.

If you missed it, click on the picture to the right or any of the links above to listen now and let me know what you think.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email above or email us at: successinlifeti@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line.


Apostle EJ
Your MarketPlace Apostle
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successinlifeti@gmail.com
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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

LAUNCHING SOON! THE MARKETPLACE CONNECTION

ATTENTION:  WOMEN MINISTRY LEADERS

Are you still waiting on God? 

Would you like to get past the roadblocks to real ministry impact?

Finally: a PROVEN step-by-step strategy for connecting God's provision with the vision and community impact.

"The MarketPlace Connection"

 is the place to find support and training on new and innovative ways for women ministry leaders to:

  • Conquer fears and Create the right action steps
  • Learn the necessary steps to your wealthy place
  • Relieve the ministry pressure of funding
  • Create multiple streams of income  and discover the path to your wealthy place
  • Learn the secrets to overcoming hindrances and serving your community with a greater impact

Upcoming Events:

BUILDING WEALTH THROUGH WORKSHOPS


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Monday, March 30, 2015

Success Tip #40 BE THE CHANGE

Be The Change

I felt my self waking up and I knew it was time to arise. I had committed myself to Benjamin Franklin’s mantra: Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. It was still dark outside and a small rectangular patch of light softly bathed my room from the security light in the parking lot. As I lay very still and waited, I heard him say, “You know it works, but quit trying to tell them and show them. The techniques of the program you want to share, the benefits of taking action, stepping into the six-figure arena—don’t just tell them show them. Be the change”. The light bulb – yes, the proverbial light bulb, came on over my head. Be the change you want to see. Don’t just talk about it. Be the light that leads them out of darkness. Though he spoke softly it sounded like thunder to my spirit man.

The "Be the Change" event is in May 2015 and I had opted out of being there, even though there was that little nagging thought at the back of my mind saying "you need to be there". There was another voice saying “no, it costs too much, you don’t have the funds, you’ll just be disappointed again, don’t waste the money" and a number of other excuses. You know, the ones that pin your feet to the floor and keep you from doing the thing you know you must do.

I realized that I had been declaring to others with great assurance and enthusiasm how they could have anything they wanted or be anything they wanted. All that is necessary is to decide what you want, visualize that one thing on a daily basis, decide on a definite plan, and take action every day. I am one of the greatest teachers in the world and others tell me so, but when it came down to where the rubber meets the road, instead of practicing what I preached, I pulled out my bag of excuses and returned to “logic and reason.” I had been awakened at 5:00 am in more ways than one. Now it was 5:15 and time to get it done.

I had just emerged from the wilderness and like Moses, he was asking me to go back and show others the way.  Moses had left his comfort zone abruptly in order to help others. The truth is, that’s the only way to leave your “comfort zone”.  And I found out, the comfort “zone” isn't a “zone” at all.  It’s a thin line drawn in the sand and life is taunting us saying, “I dare you to step over it.” 

We stand trembling as if we know that should we take the dare, it would mean sudden death. Stepping over the line is not sudden death; it is the entrance to the life we were born to live.  



Like the walls of Jericho, the Comfort Zone Wall seems impenetrable but with God all things are possible. Jericho’s wall came down and so will mine and yours. Walk around it 7 days if that is what God is telling you, then shout and go forward. The wall is weakening with each step we take.


Today I decide to step over the line and live the life I was born to live. I know you probably are already being the change you want to see in others, but as for me, I had to break through some old mindsets. It was and is a journey. I’m writing a book about it called “Murder of a Mindset”. It’s gonna be a thriller. And oh yeah, I've changed my mind. I'm going to the Be The Change Event in Orlando May 2015.


In the beginning, God visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and talked with them in the cool of the day. He still comes to the Adam (earth man) and wakes me with the sound of his voice.

Apostle EJ
MarketPlace Apostle
Success In Life Training Institute (visit our page on Facebook)






Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Success Tip #38 - DON'T BRING THE CHEESE

You brought the cheese but mice prefer peanut butter.

Now that you have built a better mousetrap, it’s simply a matter of getting the mice to participate. Don’t let your imagination run wild on the negative side. This “mousetrap” captures, educates and releases the proverbial mouse. Anyway, the point of this blog post is to show you that the key to attracting the ideal client is to offer them what it is they say they want.



For example, traditionally when we think of a mousetrap, we think of using cheese as the bait. That’s the way it has always been. But a few years ago, I ran into a Master Mouse Trapper. His secret to success was the knowledge of this one fact: mice prefer peanut butter. While others around him were busy throwing cheese at the mice and not being very successful, the mice were actually drawn to his offer. In all my life, I had never heard that mice actually preferred peanut butter.
The point is, if you wish to attract the ideal client, make sure your offer is something they actually want. Too many times we get frustrated because no one seems to understand that we only want to help them. Stop focusing on what you want (to help people with your product/service) and focus on what they want.

How do you find out what the people want? The easiest way is to ask them. Submit a simple question to your ideal client such as: If you could only solve one problem with your business, what would it be? Take this question and drop it in the middle of all your focus groups, meetups and social media groups where your ideal clients gather and see what the answer is. Then, take a look at your product or service and determine how what you have to offer is exactly what they want.

When dealing with your ideal client, the best strategy is to give them what they need (your freebie), and sell them what they want. 

Remember this success tip: Don’t bring the cheese when the mice prefer peanut butter.

If you struggle with giving the people what they want, let me help you adapt your product or service for your ideal client. For a complimentary strategy session, email me at successinlifeti@gmail.com

Coach EJ
Coach-preneur
Mission:  I help Christian business women get to their wealthy place.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Success Tip #36 -DON'T IMITATE! INNOVATE!

"Don't imitate. Innovate."  My eyes were just barely opening and I hear that familiar still small voice. It seems that this was going to be a series of very fortunate events as the Spirit spoke again, the day after he said “Activate.”  As you move out in your field, don’t forget to be uniquely you. If mousetraps are your passion, don’t just buy them. Build them.  Why shouldn't you build a better mousetrap? So what if there are a thousand companies that are already building mousetraps? What is that to you?
What others are doing has nothing to do with your own creativity and productivity. Take time out to allow your imagination to work overtime. You will be amazed at the number of ideas that have not yet been done.  Life is filled with abundance and with the potential to produce more.
You are greater than you’re letting on. Today is not the day to play it small. Today is the day to do it BIG! Stop tiptoeing through life and really leave your footprint.  There's greatness in you and it's screaming to get out. Let YOUR light shine. I promise you it will take nothing from those around you. It can only add to them.Let today be the day you give yourself permission to share your greatness with the world in a big, innovative way, and always remember, you are not here to be average. You are here to be awesome!

I'd like the chance to share with you how you can build a better mousetrap. Take advantage of a complimentary strategy session. Schedule one with me today at www.successinlifetrainingcenter.webs.com.


Coach EJ
Coachpreneur to Christian Business Women 




Thursday, March 5, 2015

Success Tip #35 - ACTIVATE!

Sisters in the Marketplace:

How many times have you written out your goals? How many times have you written a vision statement? You know, "Write the vision and make it plain, so that all who see it may run?" I cannot even tell you how many times I have written and re-written the vision - only to see it flounder.
What was I doing wrong? Why was no one picking up the vision and running with it? Isn't that what the verse of scripture said? No doubt, you have experienced this in in your ministry or business.

This morning the Spirit of the Lord woke me up with one word, "ACTIVATE"! This unction was so powerful that as I opened up my eyes the word "activate" popped out of my mouth. As I meditated on that word, I began to think on things that are voice activated:

  •  hand-held cassette recorders (back in the day)
  • toys that were voice activated
  • IPhones - voice activated (Call home) and it dials your home number
And then it hit me. Our whole universe is voice-activated! God designed it that way from the beginning. Genesis Chapter 1, and God said, Let there be... and there was! Then he handed the responsibility over to Adam (earth man) and Adam became a "speaking spirit" (original translation). His first assignment was to speak (activate)! God brought the animals to the "earth man" and the "earth man" spoke their names. - Genesis 2:19 Whatever he said they were, they are to this day.

Success in life is a result of the same voice-activation process! Speak the word of life. - Proverbs 18:21 Before we get to verse 21 though, let's examine verse 20 - "With the fruit of a man's mouth, his stomach will be satisfied. He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.: -Proverbs 18:20

Wherever you are in life right now is a result of the words you have spoken continually. You activated something in your life and it may not have been what you truly desired. To activate means to set in motion. Joshua was given an instruction by God to "voice activate" his own prosperity and success in life. "Keep this book of the law on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and succesful." - Joshua 1:8 God gave Joshua two simple steps to success in life: meditate and move out (to do). 

Whatever God has spoken to you, voice-activate it! Start talking about it! Meditate on it day and night! Decide to observe to do something with what has been spoken to you. If you will activate the word of God given to you, you will hear instructions as how to plan for it to come to pass. And plan you must. Then, once you plan, you must work (activate) the plan. Put it in motion.

Talk is cheap. Anybody and everybody does it. Action is expensive, but you cannot afford not to do it. Inactivity will cost you the vision. ACTIVATE!

 ****

As a marketplace apostle (that's what God called me), sisters, I am set in your midst to bring you to your wealthy place. I'm inviting you to a tele-class to be held on March 12, 2:00 pm to learn the secrets to your own personal success - in ministry or in business. Go to the website now and register for the class "Funding the Ministry From Within-Secrets to Divine Protection". 

Remember, you are not here to be average; you are here to be awesome!

Apostle Ej, Your marketplace Apostle

Saturday, February 21, 2015

40 ACRES AND A MULE - THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA (SOBA)


40 Acres and a mule – that was the promise of reparation for the atrocity called “slavery” which black America endured.
40 Acres and a Mule

Forty acres and a mule" refers to a concept in the United States for agrarian reform for former enslaved African American farmers, following disruptions to the institution of slavery provoked by the American Civil War. Many freedmen believed they had a moral right to own the land they had long worked as slaves, and were eager to control their own property. Freed people widely expected to legally claim 40 acres (16 ha) of land (a quarter-quarter section) and a mule after the end of the war, long after proclamations such as Sherman's Special Field Orders, No. 15 and the Freedmen's Bureau Act were explicitly reversed.(Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson revoked Sherman’s order.
Some land redistribution occurred under military jurisdiction during the war and for a brief period thereafter. But, Federal and state policy during the Reconstruction era emphasized wage labor, not land ownership, for African Americans. Almost all land allocated during the war was restored to its antebellum owners. Several African American communities did maintain control of their land, and some families obtained new land by homesteading.. Most blacks acquired land through private transactions, with ownership peaking at 15,000,000 acres (6,100,000 ha) in 1910, before an extended financial recession caused problems that resulted in the loss of their property for many”. -Wikipedia
Have we truly overcome? We have gone from slave shanties to tenement houses; from tenement houses to low-income housing and finally from low-income housing to home ownership. Although we are still a freed people in the natural, the Federal and State policy during the Reconstruction era which emphasized “wage labor” over “land ownership” has passed from generation to generation. With the wage labor mentality, our people have become a nation of consumers and not producers. The economy of the nation depends largely on production and consumption. We, as a people, are largely on the “consumer” end of the deal. In fact, just as the nation was built on the backs of slave labor, our economy is now braced on the shoulders of consumerism. Instead of investing our wages in assets like homes and businesses, we fill our lives with the task of acquiring things that once purchased tend to decrease in value. It’s tax return season. Stores are gearing up to receive all your hard-earned increase and leave you no better off than you were.

There are some black owned businesses and even enterprises but not nearly enough of them. In order to leave a legacy to the next generation, more of us must become producers and asset owners. We must teach our children to become producers and not just work for a wage labor and then hand it over to the producers of this world. We must teach them the tenets of investing, trading, giving and receiving. We must teach them to become land owners because it is the one asset that no one is making more of. Teach them to become landlords instead of tenants. If we must celebrate Black History, let us celebrate our history on Black Wall Street in Greenwood, OK. Let us celebrate more than just our downtrodden slavery history. We are a nation of people that endured the worst the nation could offer and still rose to economic power. It is time now for history to repeat itself, in a positive way. - Apostle Ej, your marketplace Apostle



Monday, February 9, 2015

BLACK HISTORY IS MY HISTORY


Black History is my history:

I could see the look in her eyes. She tried to be brave and put on a 
happy face. But she was not happy. Again we were at the jailhouse. Again she was bringing him cigarettes and putting money on his account. Again, she was looking at her firstborn son through the bars of a jail cell. I was just a little girl but I could see the hurt and the pain in her face as her heart broke yet again. Then one day, he graduated to the big time and was hauled away to prison. Miles and miles now separated us from him. There would be no more weekly visits. Now it would become a burden to drive the extra mile with three small children in tow, to go through the ritual procedure of signing in to the space behind the barbed-wire fence. This indeed was a gated-community, but not the kind of community she had wished for him. Now we would have a picnic, in the yard that was surrounded with a chain linked fence, that was crowned with barbed-wire circles, so he couldn't get out. None of us could get out. I remember being frightened that they wouldn't let us go home. In my small little-child heart, I made a vow that I would never do the thing that my mother was doing. I would never make these horrible trips to the jailhouse behind a son of mine. I would never allow my heart to break over and over again in this way.

When I grew up, I had a son. As he grew older, I rehearsed for him my childhood vow. I would say to him, “I don’t DO jail! You have no business at the jailhouse! If you go there, do not expect me to come for you because I DON’T DO JAIL!” He would just look at me and not say a word but he knew that I meant every word. After he was a grown man, he told me of an incident where he had gone to jail when he was about 30 years old. And even though it was history, and he had only stayed overnight, my heart sank. I breathed a sigh of relief at the same time as my heart was gripped with fear. Would he be a repeat customer? I prayed not. And to this day, he has never returned to jail. It would seem we dodged a bullet on that one.

Once, I attended a church service where a panel of prisoners was allowed to come in to answer questions from the young people in the congregation. Our pastor had at one time been locked up as a teenager. His crime: murder. This was his attempt to give the next generation some first-hand experience with some young men who knew the truth about jail-time and were still living it. The question was asked, “What is the worst thing about being in jail?” The answer came quickly. “Being separated from family,” one of the young men said. “It is the loneliest feeling you will ever know.” His voice broke and he dropped his head briefly. The rest of the panel nodded in agreement. My mind flashed back to my brother and his stints in jail. Somehow, my mother had known what I, as a child, could not fathom. Because of that, she was willing to sacrifice to stay connected to him.

Still Their Slaves
My mind now goes to the days of slavery. Men and women were bound with chains and torn from the arms of their family members. Children were sold off like chattel. The worse thing about slavery may not have been the abuse and rough treatment. Perhaps the worst thing about slavery was “the separation from family.” If that is the case, and more and more jails are built every year, perhaps we have not yet overcome.  What if the reason so many of our young black men and an increasing number of women are under a generational curse that has passed down through the ages and the atrocities of slavery? What if we are still their slaves?  Have we truly overcome?


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

BLACK HISTORY - HAVE WE OVERCOME?


Breaking the Generational Curse of Poverty


This is why I do it. 

Generation after generation is steeped in poverty and hopelessness. Studies have shown that if a family stays in poverty for four generations, future generations are likely to remain poor.

 As far back as I can remember our family has remained in the proverbial “poor” class. My grandfather was a “laborer”, meaning he worked in the fields on somebody else’s farm. ”. My grandmother died in a field while working as a “laborer.” My father was a logger(or pulp wood man) and my mom was termed a “laborer” as well. She probably worked the same fields as my grandfather and grandmother before her.  At the age of 12, I was taken to the fields to work alongside my mother. Business law at the time said a child could work at the age of 12 without a social security number. All this meant was that the rich farmer who I worked for could get cheap labor and not have to pay taxes. On the brighter side, it meant that the family income would increase by whatever amount the 12-year old managed to acquire. It was back-breaking work bending and hauling bundles of flowers that were taller than me, and probably weighed more as well. It was not long before I decided that this would NOT be my lot in life. I dreamed that someday I would be a Secretary in an office somewhere, far away from the dust and bugs of the fields of the rural south.

Four years later, I was a teenage mom who had dropped out of school and I saw my dream slowly fading away. I returned to school to complete my high school education and graduated with honors. I was determined not to be a part of the statistics and demographics of my own little village. Everywhere I looked, teenage girls were becoming teen moms and bringing their children home to their parents to add to a family budget that was already sagging under the weight of the burden of “not enough”. I decided to “break free” and like Kunta Kinte, I ran. I ran and ran and ran but it seemed that wherever I went, poverty followed me. As a young wife and mother I struggled to run a household the way I had seen my mother run hers. Once I had my own household to run, I realized why sometimes she would not eat but only have a cup of coffee and a cigarette why the rest of the family consumed the food she had labored to provide. I understood that when we had fried chicken for dinner, she chose the chicken necks and backs as her portion. Every day the thought of how to get out of poverty was on my mind, so I reached for my dream.

I achieved the rank of Secretary after high school and worked in a very nice office. Looking back on my life then, I was still a “laborer”. It was only the location that had changed. The money that I brought home was never a’more than enough” and more than enough is what it will take to break the curse of poverty. So in the spirit of Kunta Kinte, I ran again. I ran as far away from my childhood experiences as I could. I joined the Air Force and took my first plane ride to Basic Training. In doing just that one thing, I had already exceeded the limitations of my ancestors and my siblings.
However, when your life is held in check by a generational curse that is passed on from generation to generation, no amount of running will help. It then became my mission to discover how to break the generational curse of poverty. 

Statistically speaking, we are not in keeping with the plans of God:
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This is not the future that God has planned for my generations of grandchildren. God wants his people to prosper. In fact, his word declares that he already has plans for us to prosper. There is a way out of Poverty and like Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman before me, I am bound to find it and once the path is clear, to return to the masses and lead captives to the Promised Land. I'm on the move again with a new business venture that promises to be "the way". Fear not. I'll be back for you.