G.O.S.S.I.P. Sister » Encouragement

What It Means

Gossiper — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:38:31 +0000

Today I wore a shirt that said “I *heart” Gossip.” Someone jokingly said “shhh, ya’ll, don’t tell her nothin… She likes ‘gossip’.” I was then given the opportunity to clarify that my shirt actually represented my weblog- “G.O.S.S.I.P. Sister” which means God Orders Steps, Sit In Patience…Reflecting on that brings so much meaning & purpose BACK to what I am doing; because honestly I lost sight. I forgot. The value dropped in my mind that this mere blog, regardless of who may or may not be reading it, MEANS something. This blog is not a phase that my friend & I went through where we wanted to create a website for fun; no, it was for purpose.The purpose is to inspire people (ideally we began with targeting women because 1) we are women 2) there’s power in women empowering other women and 3) men just don’t really dig self-help or inspirational stuff- at least not enough to interact with it (But to the male readers out there- WASSUP! *Martin Lawrence voice*:) It’s not just for “sisters” anymore, so ignore the url hehe).

Back to the topic. My G.O.S.S.I.P. partner and I went through many hiccups along the way of getting this blog up and running. Big disappointments from friends & family alike, doubts, fears, and just plain lack of how-to at first. We pushed through. And although we continue to make mistakes or fall off track, 3 years later here GS stands with purpose. God is still good, and He will still get the glory. I am not sure who even reads the weblog anymore because we have had our ups n downs, so I know reader engagement has wavered, BUT, the motto is imminent- God Orders Steps, Sit in Patience!

Personally, life is harder than I ever imagined right now- I’m just being truthful. I have goals, I have dreams, and most importantly I have purpose; so WHEN is it my time? I had to remind MY OWN SELF today, that GOD (not me) but GOD (not my family), yet GOD (not my friends or my boyfriend), however, GOOOOD orders my steps, so I must SIT in patience. It will come. What’s to come, is already written in HIStory (follow me?) so it will surely come. This weblog is about inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and enlightening. While you are going through please know- You are not alone, for we ALL struggle. Patience is a virtue, not just an eight letter word. Sit in patience & act on faith.Your purpose is your power.

Stay Blessed,

Chon “Gossiper” Renee’

Passion

Gossiper — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:37:16 +0000

I read a blog that was titled- “Go for passion!”

It read:

How do you ration your passion?

In what situations have you experienced your life to the fullest? Do you live your passion as fully as you can? How do you limit your experience of passion?

Passion emerges when your essence expresses itself. How do you stop yourself from fully expressing who you are?

I think we all should answer those questions for our own personal lives. Do you even know your passion? Your passion in life should coincide with your purpose. For instance one of my passions is dance and I believe it is my purpose in life to move & positively affect people through the art form of dance and train them to be dancers as well. To do this I have formed a performing arts dance company & my dream is to one day open a dance studio.

In order for our passions to be fulfilled we have to live it as fully as we can. No limits. If you limit yourself then you will be lacking. We can not lack & succeed at the same time. So I push you to answer these questions above and apply the results to life- whether it is to move forward in pursuing your passion, or developing one and figuring it out; today is the day.

Quotes to leave you with:

“Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”

– Henri Frederic Amiel

“We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.”

– Wilbur Wright

“There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.”

– Frederico Fellini

An Attitude of Gratitude

Gossiper — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:34:42 +0000

Your attitude determines your altitude. We have all heard this saying before so it should come as no surprise. When my pastor preached on this topic Sunday, I applied it to a different aspect of my life- one that’s been eating away at me for awhile now: Accomplishing dreams & goals. A lot of us have ambitions and things we set out to accomplish that we may not necessarily feel 100% about right now. Am I the only one who feels this way? I hope not.

“We have everything we need to be successful but our stank attitude is what is holding us back,” direct words from my pastor that spoke volumes to the congregation. While I don’t feel I necessary carry a stank attitude around with me, at times I CAN get down in the dumps about my circumstances and situation. The “WHY ME?” syndrome starts kicking in, and is quickly followed with doubt, fear, and second-guessing. However, when it comes to accomplishing whatever it is that we set out to accomplish in our lives you must remember to “adjust your attitude.” We are wonderfully and uniquely made. Don’t give power to those who don’t see your beauty, or your vision, or your dream, or your intelligence…Hold on to your power and develop an Attitude of Gratitude. Be thankful that you have made it thus far in life and that you even have the right mind to conjure up a dream to accomplish, because some people can’t even do that! Yet, they will sit around and criticize everyone else trying to do something positive for themselves. Don’t get me started!

Another great point my pastor made was- “Your personality need not reflect your reality.” Just because you are broke doesn’t mean you should walk around broken! My business may not be booming the way I want it to be RIGHT NOW, but please believe I will continue to work at it like it’s a million-dollar franchise; I will continue to talk about it and be about it everyday; and I will continue to promote myself until no end! Look beyond your reality. Know that dreams once dreamed will be accomplished; goals once set will be met. Everything you believe in God for will be tested every now & then, but if you keep an attitude of gratitude, it will determine your altitude, and you can be prosperous in ALL that you set out to do!

Be Blessed

Gossiper

Never Fear

Gossiper — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:43:39 +0000

You know what fear does? It holds you back. It is like a poison that infects you and if you don’t get it fixed it will spread to ALL areas of your life. I write to tell you to push yourself to never fear. One day you will wake up, look around, and notice that you are nowhere near where you planned or dreamed you could be because you let fear hold you back and discourage you.

It would be unrealistic for me to say that fear should never even cross your mind. Of course you will think “what if…(insert the negative outcome here) happens?” Of course you will naturally develop a sense of nervousness (the predecessor of fear) when embarking on something new, but don’t let that rule you. Fear has no hold on you. Say that to yourself, aloud: “Fear, you have no hold on me.” Push your fears to the side and try that something new that you always wanted to do; pursue those “business owner” dreams; allow yourself to fall in love; start your search for your dream job and not just sulk at the dreadful one you are at now… Push past the fear and LIVE!

Tell your fears the words in Kirk Franklin’s song, “Hello Fear”:

Hello Fear
Before you sit down there’s something I need to explain
Since you’re here
I think I should tell you since we last talked things have changed
See I’m tired of being broken-hearted
So I made a list and you’re on it
All my hopes and my dreams You took from me
I want those back before you leave

Be not afraid.

Be Blessed!

Gossiper

This is what I need…

Gossiper — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:38:55 +0000

“Whatever your fate is, whatever happens, you say, “This is what I need.” It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment-not discouragement-you will find the strength there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures, followed by wreckage, were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”

- Joseph Campbell

Live. Love. Laugh.

Gossiper — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:55:37 +0000

Live- your best life to the fullest and right. A lot of people think this part of the phrase be reckless and do whatever you want to do. But really it means to live RIGHT, do RIGHT, and have integrity and heart in living.

Love- with all your heart and selflessly; not for anything in return; not for malicious reasons; but selflessly. Like in the fashion that God loves us. Little ol’, undeserving US.

Laugh- it’s the best medicine for sickness, heartbreak, poverty and pain. No one can stop you from smiling and laughing. See the light in things. Don’t take yourself so seriously where you can’t see the light in the darkness around you.

Be Blessed

Gossiper

Looking For A Loving Relationship

Gossiper — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:24:14 +0000

If you’re looking for a truly Loving relationship, it is very difficult to be in a relationship with someone who isn’t on the path to self-love.

We don’t have to love ourselves perfectly to find awesome love, but we have to be on the path to self-love. This also means that whomever we choose to be in a relationship with should be on that path, too.

There will never be a perfect moment where we love ourselves perfectly and then we can be in a relationship. It’s a constant process of discovery with no end. But for a relationship to thrive and for intimacy to emerge, each person must be dedicated to growth; otherwise, you will hit a wall.

A huge revelation for me recently has been that nobody, including myself, is perfect. It sounds obvious when I write it, but for many years I would meet people and project this expectation of perfection on to them. And I would get mad, angry and hurt when they wouldn’t meet that expectation.

So, I’ve recently decided that from the beginning of any relationships I start, that I want to acknowledge my own imperfection as well as the imperfection of the other person and consciously choose to enter into a relationship not seeking perfection, but rather loving each other’s imperfections. And instead of looking to the other person to meet all our needs perfectly, to take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on God.

I believe that the only perfect Love is the Love of God. We are constantly nurtured by it: with oxygen, with sun, with community and with free will. We are fully supported in this life by God. It is the thoughts of lack, of fear and of neediness that make us feel as if we are not.

When we remember this, we can remember our true essence and start to be at peace. When we realize that the only perfect love is the Love of God, we can no longer have the insane expectations that other people are perfect and expect perfect love from them.

We then step into the reality of imperfection that is the human condition. This is a humble place and it is from this humble place that we acknowledge that we need to grow, to work on ourselves and to walk the Path of self-love. To be in relationship with someone who isn’t on this path makes Love very difficult.

So, are you willing to step out into self-love? Are you willing to set a high standard to let people into your life who have the same commitment?

Found at The Daily Love, I just remixed it here and there to make it relevant to my belief in God & Love…Hope you enjoyed!

Gossiper aka Chon

Dig In!

Gossiper — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:17:32 +0000

I’m about to dig into this Word because that’s the only thing that keeps me. Keeps me in the time of trouble. Keeps me in spite of my insecurities & doubts. Keeps me during the cold & lonely nights, and the dreadful & weary days. Keeps me still when everything around me is so busy. Keeps me sane when I feel like I am slowly & surely losing my mind.

When I’m doing good, it’s ALL good, UNTIL God reminds me I am absolutely NOTHING without Him. I’m not happy. I’m not content. I’m not whole. I’m not at peace. I’m not secure. I’m not complete…Without Him. So I just need to remind myself to stay in the Word, and a reminder to all those who are reading this right now- Don’t wait til things get bad to turn to God. Then once things get good again- you feeling good-looking good-doing good, don’t turn away from God then either. Keep a constant balance in your relationship with God. Personally speaking, when I don’t things get all out of whack, and be looking stuck!!! 0_o …<– Like that lil face I just made

Don’t get stuck! Move forward with the ONE thing that will NEVER fade away- THE LOVE & PROTECTION OF JESUS!

May God bless you & keep you!

Gossiper

Your Choice!

Gossiper — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:56:20 +0000

“It is always your next move.”

– Napoleon Hill

The great benefit of heightened awareness is that we have more choice in how we live our lives. At any moment, we can purposefully choose a new experience for ourselves. We can choose to pay attention, breathe more deeply, laugh, rest, play, appreciate, do something different – the possibilities are endless.

Whenever you remember, TAKE YOURSELF OFF AUTO-PILOT and really examine your situation. Take charge and make a choice that will enrich your experience. At the end of the day, reflect on what happened and how you felt when you chose a new line of thought, feeling or action.

“We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us — how we can take it, what we do with it — and that is what really counts in the end.”

– Joseph Fort Newton

“When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you.”

– Tin Cup (the movie)

“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

– Neil Peart

*via HigherAwareness.com

Bittersweet Reality

Gossiper — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:23:53 +0000

The Bittersweet reality of life is that while it may be good, it never seems quite as sweet as someone else’s. The grass always appears greener on the other side…Much more flourishing; does it not? I do believe that there are some very content and happy people in the world who have learned to live abundantly with what they have- and that’s beautiful. I also believe there is a great amount of people who, while appreciative of what they do have, may ponder what it would be like to have more or have what someone else may have. There’s a fine line between this and hating, and I’m not talking about haters & hating- we could talk til we are blue in the face about that topic and the point would be why? However, what I would like to address is how can we live fully in our own lane without rubbernecking to the left and right? Sometimes realizing that what we have in our own lane is sufficient and according to God’s will is enough to keep us on track, but honestly we may ask- Well why can’t I have that over there Lord? Then we may see that our lane is just constructed different, but still provides fruitful outcomes, but honestly we still may ask- Well why does my path have to be so hard, when they seemingly have it so easy?! Again, then we may find that our purpose may be much greater at the time, and what we go through is needed for the story we will tell later in life to help someone else.

When I find myself rubbernecking into someone else’s lane or peeking over into their yard thinking the grass is greener on their side, I stop and ask those questions above, and it’s not too long after that I get my response that my life, and my blessings, and my outcome is designed to be very different than my neighbors. It’s not for me to understand, it’s not even necessarily for me to like, it’s just the way it is. It’s according to God’s will & purpose for me. I try to keep in mind that He has plans for me to prosper; plans to give me a future and hope (Jeremiah 29:11). With that I know I will be happy, I know I will be fulfilled, I know I will live in abundance, if I only stay in my lane, focused and dedicated to the word of God.

Be Encouraged!

Gossiper