AZA Means Strength

"One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." -- Nietzsche Where do you need to do some ‘out of the box’ thinking and living? We are creatures of habit, of patterns. While initially the habits may have served us, they may now be limiting our ability to experience more of life. What aspect of your life has become routine? How might you bring new life to it? Do some outrageous dreaming! Then do something completely different today. "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." -- George Washington Carver

There have been so many people who have lost their jobs, with losing their jobs, they have lost their homes, their cars and so many other things that they have worked hard for. Losing everything is hard to accept and at times some are not able to move on because they become depressed about the situation and feel that there is no hope. I know that this may seem easier said than done, but moving on is needed. I have said often times in the past that God allows one door to close for another one to open and with every experience there is a lesson learned. We learn about ourselves, the situation and what we are capable of. When I made the decision to start my own business, I knew that it would take a lot of work, patience and understanding of myself and others. I made this decision to work for myself when I worked for an employer that mandated overtime and gave me hours that took me away from my family. I made the decision that I wanted to have the flexibility and freedom to set my own hou...

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him . I thought about that smile then I realized its worth, A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth. So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

Procrastination seriously drains our energy and our morale. What remains undone nags at us.  What are you avoiding? Make a list of items and then review each one. Does it really need to be done? After you've reviewed your list, prioritize it and start one task today.  Please do not procrastinate taking one minute to write down your answer to this question. Capture it on paper and this will help build awareness, commitment and discipline. "The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started." -- Dawson Trotman

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.”                       ~ Mother Teresa We live in a time where people do not see the value in others. There are so many people who are concerned with the needs of self that they turn away from the needs of others. There is a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr that stands out to me, "Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." Giving back does not require much, all you have to do...

No matter what race or color, every woman has the right to feel "Beautiful"

One of the goals of AZA Means Strength is to acknowledge individuals who make positive contributions in the life of others. Today's Spotlight is about Shonda Story and Beautiful in Your Skin. "Beautiful In Your Skin was designed to be the encouragement a woman needs to get to her journey of a more happy place". AZA:   According to Your Facebook page, Beautiful in Your Skin was created to show your personal journey in becoming a better you, what was your journey that led you to inspiring others? BIYS: My entire life, I have been active.   In elementary school leading up to college, I was either on Cheer leading or the dance team.   College is where my love for working out and teaching aerobics began.   After I graduated, I didn’t hit the gym that often and ate with no restriction.    I kept gaining weight and the only thing that took the weight off was regular trips to the Diet Doctor.   Taking diet pills helped me lose weight but when I st...