Tag: black bloggers

Our World Needs Us

We all can do something to make a difference. 

Speak up.

Stand down.

Listen. Be present.

Empathize. 

Go out of your way.

Give others a chance. 

Be your sister’s keeper, 

your brother’s armor bearer.

Call a local official.

Start a petition.

Volunteer. Give. 

Lead. Teach.

Push through.

Laugh together, cry together.

Hug it out. Press on. 

Use your words for good.

Use your innate gifts for best.

Care more.

Love harder. 

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

All of these things?? This is what a change for the better requires. Daily. 

Will you (we) embrace the call? 

Our world sure needs us.

Steward Your Intentions

Today and going forward, may we embrace the impact of Intention. Now more than ever, it matters. 

Be intentional about where and how you spend your time. Does it fuel your purpose, feed your soul or lift your spirits? 

Be intentional about what you say and how you say it. Do you speak life over your life, your loved ones and even your strategic To Do list? If this is not yet a habit, start today.  

Be intentional about when and how you take up space. Do your presence and actions foster goodness, show others a better way and leave those in your circle better than you found them? 

We are worth the intention it takes to create lives filled with love, hope and meaning. Hold onto this truth as you honor your journey. 

Your Journey, Your Choice

During this long holiday weekend – including MLK Day, which is also a National Day of Service – join me in focusing on the good we can be, bring and do and help it multiply.

May we all protect our peace, drink our water, nurture our hope and keep our eyes on the visions we’re striving to make reality.

The letters that spell “impossible” also spell “I’m Possible.” 😉

And if you’re not already subscribed, please join my newsletter list so you don’t miss my Monday Motivation email messages and other inspiration posted only there: Stacy’s LifeUntapped Newsletter

Gratitude at Every Age & Stage

It’s Capricorn season, and last week, I celebrated another birthday!

I am continuing my quest to grow and thrive at every age & stage,

and I am truly grateful for another year

– always, in all ways.

Whatever milestones January holds for you, perhaps you can use those

touchstones to set your course for the year ahead.

I’m grateful to celebrate another birthday and all good things to come!
– Stacy Hawkins Adams

Photo Sources: Coach Rumaisa (top right); The Storyteller Co (lower right)

Intentions vs Resolutions

As this year winds to a close and 2025 waves hello, be intentional about enjoying the life you’ve been gifted.

Make a few resolutions if this helps you get on track or stay on track with long-held goals. Perhaps choose a word for the year that will inspire you to focus and keep going.

Whatever you do, be intentional about what to devote time and energy to in the coming year and what to pause, release or sidestep.

Concentrate on embracing the intangibles that serve as the foundation for a meaningful life – unconditional love, hope and inner joy. Live. Laugh. Dance a little, too. 

Lean into all that makes your heart beat a little faster and your peace grow exponentially, and be sure to honor your dreams and your purpose.

These December “Don’ts” will bless your end-of-year “Do’s”

During this home stretch of 2024 and amid your holiday festivities and planning for the New Year, take some time to reflect on what matters most. 

Not things, but people. 

Not titles, but touching lives. 

Not fabulous exploits, but life-changing encounters and experiences. 

Not what someone else says you are, but who you know you are.

Not perfection, but peace.

Celebrate these gifts, and enjoy the beauty of your life in this moment, with no hidden agendas and no expectations for what is to come.

Today is a gift. This season is a gift. Your life is a gift. 

You can color the world beautiful, just as you are. Pick your canvas and add your unique shade of lovely. 🙂 

‘Tis the Season to be an Intentional Joy Seeker

December 1st. Whew!

We have reached the final month of 2024, and while I expect and pray for some amazing moments and memories to unfold over the next four weeks,

I can’t help but humbly pause today and thank God for bringing me through this roller coaster of a year – filled with some tremendous blessings amid deep loss.

God has shored me up through some of His earthly angels,

and kept me holding on and pushing through –

to hope and a healing heart,

to exciting opportunities and dreams unfolding,

to deeper trust in Him, which has deepened my inner knowing and my inner joy.

This month in particular requires intentional self-grace as I sit with treasured memories of loved ones gone –

on the December birthday of my late mother, who “graduated” to Heaven 19 years ago;

on the early December homegoing date of my sister Pat, 9 years ago;

on the late December homegoing date of my brother Henry 2 years ago.

And this year as the first Christmas that my eldest sister, Barb, will spend in Heaven.

I’m certain to have moments of melancholy, and that’s okay. Grief, in all of its forms, is part of our human experience. I may be quieter on those days, but I’ll be good.

And when you see me smile, be assured that my peace and contentment are authentic, because I know that each of my departed loved ones would want me to live to the fullest.

In doing so, I’m perpetually honoring them and all they poured into me.

I’m sending hugs and encouragement to all who need a little extra push – and TLC – this time of year. Keep going and embrace your joyful moments as they come.

Honor Yourself to Better Serve Others

You are the captain of your ship, and therefore of your wellbeing, your purpose and your journey.

Love without condition while still exercising wisdom.

Give generously while setting appropriate boundaries.

Dream big and don’t settle. It may take time, but the time will be just right.

Say no when doing so gives you the space to practice self-care.

Lean into “not now” when this will keep you safer rather than sorry.

However, always say yes to honoring your intuition, character and integrity – even when this means standing alone.

Be willing to sacrifice short-term gains in order to experience lasting blessings.

Know that you are worthy and embrace this truth with confidence and contentment.

It’s Purpose Time

Today is a great day to decide how, in this season, you’ll use your gifts, talents, expertise, and life’s purpose for good.

Write to inform and enlighten.

Speak to guide, uplift and connect.

Teach to nurture and give hope, at every age and stage.

Sing or play instruments to heal hearts and minds, and nervous systems.

Build businesses that meet tangible needs and grow your resources and ability to help the least of these.

Deliver health care with the compassion and steadfastness you’d give your mother, sister, father, brother or spouse.

Serve your customers in ways that leave them feeling seen, heard and valued.

Be the encourager, prayer warrior, water giver, servant leader, faithful friend or change-maker you know you were destined to be.

Now is the time,

for you are a pearl of great price.

In being who you are,

you add value and hope to this world,

as only you can.

Persist in Love

Leaning into love is the hardest thing ever, especially when it’s not reciprocated.

Yet, I stand by my Monday declaration of intending to lead with love – including self-love, and even when it seems impossible.

In choosing love, I am choosing to see clearly, yet not give bitterness a foothold.

For hate causes rot,

and from a rotten vessel,

meaningful words, actions and impact cannot flow.

My aim is to keep my purpose and the people counting on me – especially the youngest ones looking up to me – top of mind.

Our children and young adults need help seeing and valuing a personal and communal north star. Our grandchildren or unborn children’s children need “north star opportunities” to still exist when it’s their turn to dream, do and be.

So even in a divided land,

the way forward includes

a surrender to love.

If you’ve ever tried it, you know that sometimes surrendering to what may seem to be “the soft way” actually requires the utmost strength.

I have stood before at a crossroads of hurt, heartbreak and unsure footing that led to a fork in the road.

My choices were a bitter path of ugly discord that some would have deemed understandable

or

a path that would require patient persistence in honoring my values, holding a vision for my desired future and telling the truth (with love) even when uncomfortable, in order to keep growing.

I chose the latter route,

and even then,

amid tears, prayers, sometimes anger and a shifted worldview,

I stood firm in the worth of my own humanity,

and I sought to honor the love guiding me and

still being poured into me,

so that I could rise another day,

nurture those around me a little more,

and remember that my life,

my right to live with hope and joy,

and my very being

are not a fluke.

We were made for love and to love.

Today, I encourage you to look in the mirror and tell the face staring back at you, “It’s okay. I love you.”

Close your eyes so you can feel it, and tell yourself, “I am better than hate.”

Inhale and exhale, and declare, “I am worthy of all good things, and even when I must speak up, set new boundaries or say no to harmful things, I will remain rooted in love.”

From this determined stance, set a course of self-care and thoughtful giving, and nurture the relationships that honor the best of you, so that years from now, you’ll gratefully experience the fruits of your investment.

“Lost Love?” by Carol (vanhookc) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.