Challenge yourself, it’s time to level up.

We are now in the eighth month of the year. While it seems like we just blinked our eyes, and it was 2024, somehow, we are now eight months into 2024. Some of us have continued the saga of making our ideas and beginning to research them, but we have not implemented them. The question is, what can we do better? I have asked myself that a lot this year. Being a full time PH.D student, a full time worker, a business owner, and most importantly of all of these a child of God, it seems my plate is overflowing.

Let me give you some tips that I will make sure I am implementing this month to refocus and regroup myself.

1. Make time for God: For me personally, God is always and forever number one. God created me and guides me and sacrificed Jesus Christ for me and my sins. Therefore, I must intentionally build a personal relationship with God. This means that I need to make time to read my bible, to do bible plans, and to focus on what God wants me to do. This task sounds complicated, but I know I have binged watched an entire serious that could not enhance or propel my future. So, how much more willing should I be to make time with my God?
2. Organize your day, try the rules of 6: Making a list can be become complicated, especially is you are like me and can write a detailed list, but somehow many items never are achieved. Chet Holmes, whom I must admit I did not know much about, created the rules of 6. With this method, you create a list of 6 items you want to complete that day. You only focus on that list, working from 1 to 6 without time constraints. What you do not achieve, you will not worry about. Your goal will be to accomplish the following item(s) on the next day. Let me know down below if you tried this method.
3. Envision your monthly goals: While the previous goal is to guide you daily, you need to have a larger goal at hand. What are your personal goals for the month? What are your business goals for the month? You can also make a monthly checklist or have checkpoints ,llittle business meetings with yourself, to see how you are progressing.
4. Take time to rest: Whew, 😮‍💨 this right here keeps me in a circle. I personally, as a Black woman (this is my experience; do not hear what I am not saying), find it so hard to rest. Quite literally, I had told one of my friends that if one woman could push herself to exhaustion, then why shouldn’t I? First, let’s thank my friend for Their Grace and mercy, as being friends with me sometimes involves drama. Second, I am forever thankful that God has given me Daniel friends, as Tiphani Montgomery puts it, who help keep me together. You need to provide yourself with a period of rest. Ask yourself, what does this look like for you? I like to enjoy quiet time sitting with my legs on my ottoman. Maybe even taking a nap, not because I need it to function, just because I can. If you know the difference, you know.
5. Never stop if you fall short: At times, you may not be able to achieve this goal. You may feel defeated and begin to stop. Do not do this. I know what it feels like to be a harsh critic of myself. I am so thankful that God has freed me from that. When things are not going as planned, I pivot, leaning on God. Without God, I know I could not do anything I am doing. Understanding your source and differentiating your source from your resources will help you a lot. You will be able to keep moving forward.

I understand that this list is long, but I hope it helps.