Grateful for Lazy Saturday Mornings

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful For Lazy Saturday Mornings

I’ve talked here on the blog in the past about how I used to be a “busy bee” until I made a conscious decision to STOP THE GLORIFICATION OF BUSY! Someone could come up to me and say, “Hey Carmen, how’s your day going?” and my response would always be, “It’s great, but super busy!” My response was the absolute truth 99% of the time! I always had something on the calendar, something to do, and somewhere to go in addition to work and personal obligations.

I will admit, the “busy” stage served it’s purpose during a point in my life and career where I was trying to network and meet as many people as possible after I first moved to Nashville and was growing my business. Howwwwwwww-ever, over committing and overworking myself became exhausting.

Fast forward a couple of years later to the current time and I am so very GRATEFUL for lazy Saturday mornings when I can get out of bed when I decide to, grab some coffee or tea, head out for a leisurely walk in the park and just relax. I have a better understanding, since slowing things down a bit, that life is meant to be enjoyed, not rushed through.

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter. She is a Law of Attraction Practitioner and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

13Jul2016

Grateful for 5.5+ Years of Entrepreneurship

Posted in Branding, Gratitude, Inspiration, Leadership, Manifesting, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016 by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful for 5.5+ Years of Entrepreneurship

As those of you who regularly read my blog know, in addition to being a blogger I have a career…..the one that actually pays the bills and for which I studied and toiled and stayed in school and residency for what seemed like FOREVER to achieve lol! As “Dr. Carmen April” I am an entrepreneur and owner of my medical practice, The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC for the past 5 years. When I was first getting started in my medical practice, I heard over and over and OVER again that most small businesses fail within their first couple of years of operation. In fact, that statistic is more specifically around 90% of small businesses FAILING in their first couple of years. Making it to 5 years is definitely something to be celebrated and I certainly have! I thank God every SINGLE day for the success of my business!

There have been times, especially in the beginning where I grew weary because the money coming into the business seemed to be at a snail’s pace compared to the money going out! There have been many times where I have been frustrated with dealing with health insurance companies lowering reimbursements year after year when the cost of doing business continues to increase. There are many things that I, along with any other entrepreneur COULD complain about and have complained about as it pertains to our businesses, BUT the day I started to express more GRATITUDE than I did complain about everything that was wrong in the medical industry, a SHIFT happened! It was as if expressing Gratitude un-clogged a pipe and allowed an abundance of good things to flow into my medical practice! Opportunities for financial increase came my way and I was in position to take full advantage of it.

Some entrepreneurs are afraid to openly talk about “money” especially in fields that service people and the community, such as in medicine. My main job as a doctor is to diagnose and treat my patients with the best medical care possible and I’m confident I do that. However, if the money is not available to run the business properly, that does not happen. Entrepreneurs have to get comfortable talking about money! When it comes to the finances of my business, My small business is no different from the big hospitals and health centers, no different from your every day restaurant or clothing store. They all require positive cash flow, great report with patients/clients and the community, marketing, advertising, good money management, etc to make them successful.

It’s been 6+ years since I first nurtured the idea of starting my own practice and it’s still amazing to think back on every storm I weathered to get to this very point. A couple THOUSAND patients later from the first day I hung my shingle and opened the doors to my practice, I have a renewed strength and tenacity to see it grow even more! God is great and I give Him all the glory and honor for the success of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC!

My prayer for my business: “Lord, I thank you for giving me the idea and the courage to pursue my dream of starting my own medical practice. The opportunity came before I thought I was ready to take the leap, but you had already equipped me with everything I needed to get it done! Every bit of any amount of success I have experienced in this business is because of you and for that I say Thank You. During the trials, and doubts, and hard times, you were also there and didn’t let me fall. You didn’t let me quit. I continue to pray for every single patient who walks through the doors of this practice. Bless them Lord and bless me to use my knowledge, skills and intuition to medically treat them to the best of my ability. Bless my employees that they continue to find satisfaction in their work with me and this business and allow them to be a blessing to the patients as well. I know that these accomplishments you’ve allowed me to have at such a young age, inspire others and for that I am Grateful! There have been many people along the way who I have looked to for inspiration and I’m glad that I’m now able to pay it forward. Lord, continue to allow me to uplift, encourage and inspire other people through the work of my mind and my hands. I pray that all my endeavors are prosperous and are used to serve you and uplift your kingdom! In your son Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” –Carmen

21Jun2016

Grateful For Balance

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Leadership, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful For Balance

At this very moment I can say I’m Grateful for Balance. This has not always been the case (ie.- those years during med school, residency, first couple of years starting my medical practice) and will not always be the case, but…………….. for right now, it’s how I feel and I am grateful for it.

We hear a lot about “work-life balance” and what that’s supposed to look like. I’m asked that question often when I’m out on various speaking engagements, especially by young professional women and college students. My best answer is for everyone, on a individual bases, figuring out what your activity limits are as it relates to pouring out too much of yourself into others without investing back into yourself.

Instead of “Work-life balance”, I prefer to use the term “Life Integration” because to me that is more of a long time approach to this concept. Life occurs in stages so there will be times when we feel totally balanced like I do at this point in my life, but there are also times when things don’t feel balanced, and that’s OK too. As long as you are working to integrate work priorities with family obligations, community service, etc in a manner that works for you, no matter what it looks like for someone else, do THAT!

Just up until about a year ago, I was THAT person who was on the go ALL the time! If I wasn’t in my office seeing patients and running the business side of my practice, I was at some meeting for one of the 3 Board of Directors I was on at the time, at a sorority meeting, doing community service with my sorority chapter or out blogging about something, somewhere! It was all cool and exciting until I just got tired. Point blank and THE period —-> I. Was. Tired.

All that I was involved in looked really good on paper, but it wore me down and I felt that I had no time to myself. Even my Dinner With Nerds Food Blog, that I designed to be a creative outlet, began to get stressful. When I was doing full features on particular restaurants by interviewing the owners & chefs and coming in with my camera to photograph all the food, the owners and managers always wanted to know when I would be publishing the feature which then put me on a deadline, which then made it start to feel more like work and less like fun 😦

My balance was off because I wasn’t integrating the various aspects of my life in a way that satisfied me. At the end of the day, if I’m not taking care of me……extensions of me begin to suffer (ie., my business, my health, my attitude toward things).

When I began to say NO to some things, NO to people requesting my attention, rolled off a couple of the Board of Directors I was on and realized that my contributions to my community , to my work and to the people I love were already more than sufficient without having to add anything more, slowly but surely I began to feel more like myself again – less stressed and happier! I always feel honored when I’m approached to serve the community in some capacity or to offer my expertise in certain areas, but I have learned that I only have so much so give before I start feeling off-balanced. With time and age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes knowing your limits. I’ll choose this feeling over being over-committed and over-worked any day of the week!

3May2016

Grateful For Time Spent in My “Me” Place

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful For Time Spent in My “Me” Space

I looooooove my “me” time, but I’ll be honest and say that it’s taken some practice for me to establish specific, set-aside time just for me to meditate and be with my happy thoughts! When I began carving out time to sit with my thoughts and mediate on the things in life that I’m grateful for, I began to notice a SHIFT in my way of thinking. My dominating thoughts have become those of GRATITUDE, love, faith, peace and of moving myself in the direction of “greater”!

Spending alone time with God and my thoughts has allowed me to change the narrative of my life. I have a strong belief that, no matter what, life is on my side and is always pushing me to be a greater version of myself each and every day. I know that my dominating thoughts become my reality so I’m very intentional about concentrating on GRATITUDE, love, faith and expecting the best out of life! When I take the time daily to elevate my vibrations to a higher level of happiness, peace, love and GRATITUDE, all of those things return to me in immeasurable ways!

Here are a couple of things I do to get into my happy place during my “me” time:

Listen to calming spa-type music while laying awake in bed or on my couch and meditating
Tapping into one of my favorite iPhone apps, Calm, that allows me to listen to sounds of the ocean and the beach while daydreaming about all that I appreciate, love and desire in life
Heading out to one of my favorite parks to walk/jog, listen to nature, and perform one of my walking meditation exercises where I thank God/Universe for all I see that is beautiful and makes me happy 🙂
Logging onto Instagram and following hashtags that lead me to awesome feeds of food, landscapes, beautiful homes, luxury hotels, luxury spas and inspirational quotes! I loooooove photography so seeing beautiful photos that raise my vibration into a happy place always do the trick and leave me feeling happy, at peace and serene 🙂

Sometimes folks find it difficult to carve out “me” time, especially since we are in an age when the glorification of “busy” seems to be an “it” thing. However, I’ve learned that it’s detrimental not to do it. The “me” time does NOT have to be during the same time every day. Schedules vary, work and family demands vary and it’s ok to cut yourself some slack and be flexible with your personal time as well. Some days it may be better to spend time in the morning with this exercise and on other days the evenings may be better. Either way, we all owe it to ourselves to steal away and take some time to relax. Not only is it good for your psyche and mental health, but periods of relaxation and meditation have other health benefits such as lowering blood pressure & resting heart rate and lowering levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in our bodies.

Lastly, as a Law of Attraction Practitioner, I encourage relaxation and meditation during “me” time as essential to elevating yourself to a higher vibration and attracting those things, experiences and opportunities into your life that you desire. Your dominating thoughts mixed with the positive emotions they create within you, bring them into your reality! It’s all about faith!

5Apr2016

Grateful For The Little Things

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful For The Little Things

I’m Grateful for the little things because the little things are actually the Big things! From the individual encouraging words I’ve always heard from my parents my entire life, to the way my sister and brother still look up to me as their big sister even though we’re all adults now, the sweet hugs and kisses from my nieces and them affectionately calling me “TT Carmen” a hundred times a day, to the countless times my wonderful husband tells me, “I love you baby and I thank God for you every day”

I get so tickled when our Malti-poo fur-baby, Bella, literally spins around in circles of happiness because she’s so excited to see us come home from work every day

I don’t take for granted the many luxuries I am blessed to enjoy every day and all the moving parts involved in making those things happen. I don’t have to go out and pick all of my fruits and vegetables from a garden or orchard because there are people who have done that for me and I’m GRATEFUL. I don’t have to go out and kill a chicken in order to have meat to eat.

I’m so super serious about that chicken example. One of the amazing matriarchs of my family, at 93 years old, recently walked me through the steps she would take to slaughter a chicken and have it sitting on the dinner table a couple of hours later. Back in her younger days, if she or her husband didn’t kill a chicken themselves, there was no chicken to be had for dinner that night! I thank God I don’t have to grab a chicken, wring its neck, let it run around in a large barrel until it died, then put it in a pot of boiling water, pluck the feathers……you get the point! THAT is a true story and one I’m glad to have had passed down to me by oral history vs. actual experience lol!

I don’t have to go out and draw water from a well to bathe, clean or drink because there are many other moving parts at play that allow me to have clean, running water coming straight into my home and for that I’m GRATEFUL. I don’t have to “foot-it” to work because I have a beautiful, safe vehicle to get me to work and back every day and for that I’m GRATEFUL! I don’t have to read by candlelight at home because I have lights and electricity that provide that luxury instead and I’m GRATEFUL. These are things that may seem like “basic necessities” and “expected” for us to have, but if you’ve ever known people who live without these basic necessities you will realize that they are in fact “luxuries”.

The little moments matter and make up the spice of life. Don’t overlook them for the traditionally dramatic, shocking and spectacular. The little moments can be those things too…..just packaged a bit differently 🙂

8Mar2016

My Gratitude Box

Posted in Inspiration, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

My Gratitude Box

My Theme/Word for 2016 is GRATITUDE! I’m Grateful for Life, Love, following Christ and for living a life with more experiences, opportunities, and wonderful people than I deserve. Life is so very precious and I don’t, for a second, take that for granted. Every day that I wake up and step foot out of my bed with a sound mind, is another opportunity to be thankful and express my Gratitude for it all!

A practice that I’ve been doing for a couple of years now involves using a Gratitude Box to hold my notes of Gratitude to God/Universe. Point blank……..you find less to complain about when you focus on all you have to be Grateful for!! That’s not to say that I don’t have my human moments throughout the day when things tick me off OR have a mini “spazz-out” session or two, because I do lol! However, when the dust settles, as the old gospel song we sing in church says, “And I think things over…..all of my good days, outweigh my bad days, and I won’t complain!” #Hallelujah!

One of the reasons I use a Gratitude Box such as the one above more often than a Gratitude Journal is because I physically add small trinkets that represent things I’m grateful for to the box in addition to the notes and Gratitude cards I place there. Once that box that sits on my night stand is “full of Gratitude” (I Love how that sounds!!!), I empty it into a bigger box that sits in my closet and start filling up the smaller box on my nightstand again.

Gratitude Cards I fill out and add to my Gratitude Box on a regular basis

Interesting Note: These photos of me were taken last year before I was married…..or engaged for that matter….and it’s a bit “strange” to see my left hand without my engagement ring and wedding band on it lol! The interesting thing about my Gratitude practice is that one of the things I repeatedly wrote a Gratitude/Thank You note to God for was this ———> My Husband….BEFORE I ever had one OR even knew who he would be!!! I have plenty of Gratitude notes in my Gratitude Box thanking God IN ADVANCE for my husband! #TrueStory

I physically write out the things I’m grateful for in greeting/thank you cards then place them in my Gratitude Box because the Bible says “Write the Vision and Make it plain” (Habakukk 2:2) There is power in writing down your desires, requests, praise and words of GRATITUDE! P.S. = I kind of have a small obsession with all things paper and beautiful greeting cards so this method of using pretty cards and fancy letterhead to fill the box also feeds that obsession of mine 🙂

Gratitude Journal – Another way to perform this practice is to write your words of Gratitude directly into a Gratitude Journal. This works well because it keeps everything in one compact journal, keeps the entries in chronological order and can be taken with you when you travel, etc. Once again, you are activating that special power that comes from physically writing down the words!

My Gratitude Expressions include everything under the sun and the Heavens above – Literally! I include expressions of Gratitude for the love I have for my family to an appreciation of my favorite color, green, simply because it makes me happy! I express Gratitude for the food that I am blessed to eat everyday and for the farmers who grew that food in their fields, to the truck drivers who delivered it to the grocery store and the cashier who rung it up for me when I bought it! There is an unlimited abundance of life experiences to be grateful if we just take the time to sit down and really concentrate on them 🙂

Choose the method that works for you, but my all means…..DO IT! Express your Gratitude!! The more you express Gratitude to God/ The Universe for the things you are ALREADY blessed with, the more the Universe will open up it’s channels to pour out MORE blessings and MORE things and MORE opportunities and MORE experiences and the right people in your life to be Grateful for!

2Feb2016

Grateful to Be of Service

Posted in Gratitude, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Motivation, Self Care, Theme For 2016 by Dr. Carmen April

Grateful to Be of Service

As I discussed in my first blog post for 2016, My Theme for the year is GRATITUDE! I am so grateful for all that I am and blessed to experience. I am grateful for beautiful things seen and things not seen in my life.

Gratitude is an emotion that expresses appreciation for what one has as opposed to focusing on what one wants.

Expressing gratitude is a great multiplier because the more we are GRATEFUL for what we already have, the more the Universe gives us to be GRATEFUL for! Expressing gratitude has been shown to increase happiness, optimism, and empathy. Gratitude can allow you to see the sunshine through the rain and can offer peace in the midst of a storm.

This morning I visited Renewal House , a safe haven in Nashville for women working to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. I’ve visited Renewal House many times taking donations of clothes, housewares, food and snacks, etc. Two weeks ago I also visited Renewal House with my Sorority chapter for Martin Luther King Day of Service and spent the morning with the women who are going through the program. I gave a short presentation, “Secrets of Success” that apply to everyone, no matter where they are in life. I always feel a strong sense of gratitude every time I visit that I’m able to donate things that have brought me joy and share them with others. Last week I also enjoyed sharing that bit of motivation with the women

❒ This morning, however, in addition to feeling gratitude for all that I have, I also felt gratitude for the women and their children who have come to Renewal House to recover and keep their families together.

❒ I’m grateful that Renewal House exists to provide a safe haven and recovery program for women who really need it

❒ I’m grateful for everyone who works with these women and their families on a daily basis

❒ I’m grateful for the two caring souls who started Renewal House 20 yrs ago

❒ I’m grateful to those who give of their time and talents on the Board of Directors

❒ I’m grateful for the strong spirits of the women in the treatment program who desire a better life for themselves and their children

❒ I’m grateful that lives are being changed and restored through this program because of the love, generosity and dedication of individuals with big hearts!

❒ I’m grateful that the clothes, kitchen appliances, wall hangings and housewares that have brought me happiness in my home can now be used to bring happiness to other women

❒ I’m grateful that I’m able to offer what I have to give to help make another woman’s journey a bit sweeter 🙂

So you see, this practice of GRATITUDE opened my eyes today to not only appreciate what I have to give, but also to be GRATEFUL for everyone else that my gifts will touch and for the program that is allowing them the opportunity to do that.

What are you GRATEFUL for today?

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter. Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

1Jan2016

My Word for 2016

Posted in Inspiration, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2016, Uncategorized by Dr. Carmen April

My Word For 2016……………

Wow, we are here! We made it! It’s 2016!

Does anyone else feel like 2015 just flew by?? Each year seems to pass by more swiftly than the last! Someone told me that’s what happens the older you get and it seems like they’re right lol! So much happened for me in 2015 – both highs and lows, roses and thorns.

The Thorns – I lost the physical presence of some really precious family members in 2015 and it stung….really bad. My peace comes in knowing that they are all rejoicing with our Heavenly Father for all eternity.

The Roses – I got married to my wonderful husband and experienced many “firsts” with him. We began dating, got engaged and married all in the same year! My youngest niece is now old enough to scream with excitement for me when I walk into a room and she gives the best hugs and baby kisses (those adorable kisses that babies give you with their mouths wide open so you can smell their precious baby breath lol!). I saw financial increase in my business and was able to pay off some debt I incurred during the start-up period of my business 5 years ago. Oh yeah…..speaking of my business, January of 2016 makes 5 full years that I’ve successfully owned the medical practice I started from the ground up! God is so good and I’m forever grateful because as Marvin Sapp’s famous gospel song says, “I never would have made it without [Him]!”

For those who’ve been following my blog for some time, you know that I choose a word or phrase for the year and this word serves as a guide for me for the year. It’s a word that I meditate on daily, read about, pray about and apply to my life on a consistent basis. Whether you’ve been reading my blog for a while or this is your first time coming across one of my posts, I’m sharing with you my “Word for 2016” and invite you to choose a word for yourself! I’ve even included a jpeg image for you to print off, enter your own word and post it around your home, office, car, etc

❐ My Word/Phrase for 2014: “Count On It”

❐ My Word/Phrase for 2015: Love & Faith

❐ My Word/Phrase for 2016:……………………………………..

GRATITUDE

Over the past two years, I’ve focused heavily on Faith, Love and Counting on the blessings of God. He has been so faithful to me in everything I’ve asked of Him. Even those desires/requests that were “delayed” according to my time-table, all made sense when God revealed to me His outcome for all the things I requested. I am forever GRATEFUL for each and every desire of my heart that God has bestowed upon me. I live every day with a GRATEFUL heart.

GRATITUDE is a special, one-of-a-kind key that unlocks an overflow of blessings into our lives. The cool thing about GRATITUDE is that the more we are GRATEFUL for what we have, the more the Universe gives us to be GRATEFUL for!! I’ve seen it for myself and I know it to be true.

When I stopped complaining about money, complaining about how much everything costs to run a business, complaining about how I needed more money to do the things I needed to do in the start-up phase of my business and started being GRATEFUL for what I DID have to get my business started, things started changing. Money started flowing in my direction when I became truly GRATEFUL for all that I had, even when the dollar amount is not exactly what I wanted it to be at the time. I even started being GRATEFUL for my bills! Yes, I started being GRATEFUL for my bills because having bills means that I’m the entrepreneur I’ve always dreamed of being. It means that my business is fully operational and in that business I’m making money that allows me to live the life I want to live.

My practice of GRATITUDE has been life-changing and that’s why I’ve chosen it as my word for 2016.

I have a practice of going on Gratitude Walks. Here’s an example of what my GRATITUDE walks through the park look like. This is what it sounds like in my mind:

➤ “Thank you Lord for the grass

➤ Thanks for the green grass….green is my favorite color…..it makes me happy and makes me smile

➤Thanks for the air I breathe

➤ Thank you for the process of breathing clean air, air that oxygenates my body and allows me to live

➤ Speaking of air flowing into my body, thank you Lord for my heart that beats without me even thinking about it. This wonderful heart of mine has been pumping away for over 30+ years without missing a beat, even when I’m asleep at night and for that I’m GRATEFUL!

➤ Since I’m thinking about how GRATEFUL I am for my heart and lungs, let me say THANK YOU for the proper, perfect, healthy workings of all my body parts….all the moving parts that allow me to get up out of bed in the morning, go to sleep at night and wake up again the next morning, enjoy my life and all the people and things in it!

➤ {As I keep walking I see a cute little bunny rabbit hopping along into the wooded area along the walking trail}……………..

➤ Awwwwwww, look at that cute bunny! Thank you Lord for all you precious creatures here on earth

➤ Thank you for beautiful things! Beautiful things and people and experiences make me happy!

➤ Thank you God for happiness and for the feeling of Happiness………… “

So you see, as I go on these GRATITUDE Walks I just let my thoughts flow and as the thoughts enter my mind I focus on what it is about them that makes me GRATEFUL and I express that GRATITUDE by saying and truly feeling appreciation for them all! A Gratitude Walk for me is a walking prayer :-). Each of these walks brings me such peace of mind, serenity, happiness and joy. I feel blessed for my health and my peace of mind. I don’t take either of these for granted because I encounter folks everyday who don’t have “peace” in their lives because of health issues, etc they are dealing with.

So, this year you will see a lot from me focused on GRATITUDE. I’ve already printed out “My Word for 2016” and taped it to my bathroom mirror, fridge, and office wall. I encourage you to pick your word and do the same. You can even print out the jpeg image I have here below and fill in your word.

Last year I received some awesome testimonials from individuals who chose a word according to this practice after reading my blog post and saw awesome results in their own lives. It works…..it really, really works lol! The reason it works it because those things we focus on the most on and give much energy to tend to be those things that manifest in our lives the strongest!

Thoughts become Things!

Our Dominant Thoughts become Things!

What do you want to see manifest in your life this year? Meditate on what your heart most desires for your life right now and choose a word that reflects that feeling. I would love to hear what comes of this practice for you so if you are inclined, please feel free to leave me a message under this blog post or any of the ones in the future that resonate with you.

Below is a jpeg image to print out, fill out and post around your home, office, etc to keep you motivated and focused on your word throughout the year!

Happy New Year 2016!

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter. Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

15Dec2015

Speak it Into Existence

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2015 by Dr. Carmen April

Speak It Into Existence

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The Power of Life And Death is in the tongue”

Albert Einstein says “Everything is Energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you can not help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is no philosophy. This is Physics.”

I say 🙂 , “Your Happiness depends on the thoughts you think and the words you speak! Your words have POWER so choose to Speak Life over yourself, LIFE over your circumstances, LIFE over your finances, LIFE over your family! Those dreams and Desires that you are ready to Manifest are ready to burst through for you if you will really believe in them and Speak them into Existence!

On a very personal level, this same power of intention and this practice of speaking my desires into existence attracted my husband into my life! Honest to goodness, this time last year (December 2014) the wonderful man who is, now, my husband was not even on my radar!!! #TrueStory

However, as a good friend and I were recently discussing……. “It doesn’t take God long to work!”

My husband and I had known OF each other for a while (we are both from Mississippi, both graduated from Mississippi State University, know people in common, etc), but had just one very brief, casual, in-passing “hey there, how ya doing?” encounter about 9 yrs ago. The funny part is that to this very day I honestly have no recollection of it (Sorry babe lol)!!

No worries, his feelings aren’t hurt that I don’t remember it!

Last summer (summer 2014) I got really serious about my true desires for a husband. I had been praying for my husband (having no clue who he would be) since I was 20 years old, but decided to write down my desires and then start speaking them into existence!

Everyday, before Lionel and I ever had our first REAL conversation in 2015 (at least the first one I can remember…Ha! ) I would repeat over and over to myself “I AM a Wonderful Wife”, “I AM a Wonderful Wife” and daydream about having a wonderful husband and being a Wonderful Wife!

Writing down my desires and then declaring that “I AM a Wonderful Wife” everyday activated my Faith to another level!!

I found a ring in my jewelry box one day during spring cleaning that I had purchased years ago and since it resembled an engagement ring, I placed it on my bedroom dresser (On his side, before I know who he would be!!). That ring served as a reminder for me to pray for my husband every day!

I also took a bouquet of artificial flowers out of a vase I had purchased years ago, dusted them off and placed them next to the ring on the dresser in my bedroom.

I literally filled my home with the word “LOVE”! I bought a pillow that says “LOVE” for my living room couch, bought a canvas with the word “LOVE” and placed it on the wall at the very entrance of my home. The word “LOVE” was taped to my fridge, my bathroom mirror, the wall in my office at work…..Everywhere lol!!!

I chose my Themes for 2015 to be LOVE and FAITH!! Let me declare to you today that IT IS NO coincidence that 2015 has been the year that I chose LOVE and FAITH to be my 2 themes for the year – the themes I think about, pray about, meditate about day-in and day-out AND that 2015 has also been the year that my, now husband, and I had our first real conversation, started dating, got engaged and got married – ALL OF THIS IN 2015!!

In the summer of 2014, I wrote down a list of 31 core desires I had for my husband. Once Lionel and I connected and began having marathon-long phone calls every day (one of our very first phone convos lasted almost 7 hours long!), I realized there was something very special about him. God actually spoke to me after our first multi-hour long conversation and told me that I had just had my first conversation with my husband. Seriously, clear as day, I heard God impart this into my spirit as I was climbing into bed that night. I chuckled and smiled and said out loud “Ok Lord, if I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing, please make this very obvious to me!”

Now, back to the core desires list ——–> One by one, I started checking those desires off the list that Lionel met. I quickly realized that he was the physical manifestation of that list! There was no particular reason for having 31 items on that list. I actually initially stopped at 30 because it’s an even number and I kinda have a thing for even numbers (LOL), but then decided to throw in an extra one for kicks and giggles that says, “And oh yeah……he loves great music and loves to dance!” God definitely has a sense of humor because even though #31 wasn’t a deal breaker, He gave it to me anyways! Anyone who has ever hear my husband sing knows how great of a musical talent he is! We both love great music, love attending concerts together and dancing together!!

I’ve always dreamed of a fairy-tale proposal……..one I would never forget and one that held significant meaning! In my many conversations to God about my husband over the past year and a half (when I really got serious about this thing!), I communicated to God that I did not want a physical relationship with any from that point on other than with the man who would be my husband! I was tired of dating as usual. I was tired of listening to what the “world” tells us we need to do to get and keep a man. I was tired of it because I knew that was not what God was imparting into my spirit!

Well, once again, just a couple of weeks after our first marathon-long conversation, I received what I prayed for!

The VERY 1st time (my now husband) Lionel ever touched me was to put the engagement ring on my finger and ask me to marry him – The VERY 1st time!

Our Wedding Day in San Juan, Puerto Rico – August 2015

Because I had prayed for Lionel for so long, when he presented into my life I immediately recognized him to be that person God sent to me! Lionel says the same. He surrendered to God and asked God to show him who he was supposed to be with instead of him trying to figure it out on his own.

My husband is such a wonderful blessing and gift from God. He is the man I have prayed about for so long and is a manifestation of my core desires for a husband. In the natural, I never would have imagined this time last year that I would be very happily married right now. However, my Spirit told me differently! My Spirit constantly reminded me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible – Psalm 37:4 that says, “Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. My Spirit also reminded me that the Word gives us authority, as believers, to “speak those things that are not as though they already were” (Romans 4:17)!! I also prayed for an Ephesians 3:20 husband – a husband who is exceedingly, abundantly above all I can ask or think, and guess what…..God delivered that to me as well!

Words have real power!! Use them to speak life and love and blessings over your own life right now!! Your words activate your faith!! I hope my story encourages you to start speaking what’s important to you over your life every single day!

So, today, begin to say:

❐ I am AWESOME!

❐ I am BLESSED!

❐ I am RESOURCEFUL!

❐ I am STRONG!

❐ I am COURAGEOUS!

❐ I EXPECT things to work out in my favor!

❐ All Good things come to me today!

❐ My Dreams and Desires are coming true for me!

❐ I AM ______________________________ (Fill in the blank for what you desire)

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader Award (NELA) Winner, a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter. Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship and Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

10Nov2015

FAITH: My 2nd Theme for 2015

Posted in Inspiration, Manifesting, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Theme For 2015 by Dr. Carmen April

FAITH:

My 2nd Theme for 2015

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I select a “THEME” for each year and in 2015 I could not just narrow it down to just 1 theme so I chose 2! The first theme was LOVE (click here to see that post) and the second is what I’m revealing today —> FAITH!

Both of these themes have had more of an impact on my life this year than I ever could have imagined! The combination of FAITH and LOVE brought to fruition in my life the following: A deeper relationship with God my Creator and Jesus my Savior, Financial Increase in my business, meeting, falling in love with and marrying the man of my dreams (yes, all in the same year lol!), and learning to look at every situation that occurs in my life through new lenses of LOVE and FAITH and the endless possibilities they present!

Back in August I was the Keynote Speaker at an Empowerment Dinner during the Men & Women of Color Conference at my Alma Mater, Mississippi State University. I spoke heavily about how LOVE and FAITH can be used to excel personally and professionally. Below is an excerpt of what I said about FAITH to the audience during that speech:

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“At itʼs most basic definition – FAITH is COMPLETE trust or Confidence in someone or something.

The reason I chose FAITH as my 2nd Theme for 2015 is that there are a couple of major things I wanted to manifest in my life this year and in order for those things to come into being….I had to have total FAITH that they would come about! In order to manifest what you want in life, you have to have FAITH – a Confidence to make those things come to pass.

When I talk about FAITH, I use a concept of “Seed. Time. Harvest” {OR} “Ask. Believe. Receive” to describe the Process of FAITH because, yes, there is a process!

Think of a farmer. A farmer plants his or her seeds and when that farmer plants those seeds, he or she EXPECTS that the seeds will produce a harvest. Correct? The farmer does not wander around worrying IF their harvest is going to come! They expect that when they plant those seeds, they will see a harvest in due time!

You plant corn seeds, you expect corn to grow. When you plant watermelon seeds, you expect watermelon to grow.

Furthermore, when you plant corn seeds, you DONʼT expect watermelon to grow…..but Iʼm gonna come back to that in a minute!

In between that “seed-planting” and harvesting is a little something called TIIIIIIIIIIME! Itʼs during this “time period” that we tend to get impatient and may even lose FAITH in some of our dreams.

Whatʼs funny is that the “Seed. Time. Harvest.” Concept really looks more like this —> Seed. Time. Time. Time. Time Time Time Time Time Time Time Time Time. Harvest. LOL

However, get in the mindset of an experienced farmer – when they plant something, they have FAITH and fully expect that it will harvest into exactly what they expect. When you are working toward your dreams, have FAITH that just as you are putting in the work to make your dreams come true, you will reap what you sow.

Back to the reference I made a minute ago about planting one thing and expecting something else to grow. You cant plant corn seeds and expect tomatoes to grow. In similar regard, you canʼt half-way work at your goals and dreams and expect success. Once again, you reap what you sow.

Ask. Believe. Receive —> That “believing” part is where your FAITH comes into play!

Please know that other people believing in your dreams or not is NOT a requirement for your dreams to manifest in your life! YOU have to have FAITH that your dreams will come to fruition! You have to have FAITH that as long as you are trying your very best to add positivity to the world, that the Universe will support you in it!

You and only you are responsible for having FAITH that will move mountains! FAITH that will allow you to be the head and not the tail! FAITH that will cause you to lend and not borrow! FAITH that will allow you to achieve your dreams and encourage someone else along the way! FAITH that now matter where you started or under what circumstances you were born into, you can achieve your dreams NO MATTER WHAT!

FAITH! FAITH! FAITH!

FAITH that says that even if your family doesnʼt believe in you, youʼre going to accomplish your dreams anyways! FAITH that stops the haters in their tracks!!

FAITH that tells you that sometimes itʼs better to keep your mouth closed about your dreams than to tell them to every Tom, Billy Bob and Joe that will listen! Not everyone around you is really there to support you. Be careful of dream-killers – they can sometimes be disguised as people in your very own camp!

FAITH in my strength and abilities is what pushed me to start my own medical practice at just 30 years old!

Sometimes I look back on that start-up period of owning my practice and laugh because of how amazing it was! One of the reasons I was able to start my practice the way I did is because I had TOTAL and COMPLETE FAITH that I could do it!! I donʼt remember doubting myself for even one second during that entire process – I had crazy FAITH. I knew there would be minor hick-ups along the way, but I never lost FAITH, even for a little bit, that I could do it!

Now, over 4.5 years, later my practice is growing and is stronger than ever. Most small business take at least 5 years to become consistently profitable but, Praise be to God, Iʼve already turned that corner prior to the 5 year mark! My FAITH brought that dream of mine to pass!

Every morning when I rise I give thanks for life and love, health, and family, increase in my business & finances and for waking up in my right mind! I have FAITH that in spite of all the things happening around me that may be out of control, I’m in tune with my Creator who has the power to make everything work together for my good!”

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There are daily examples of times when I don’t have the answer and don’t know what to do next. However, that’s where my FAITH steps in! I surrender my way to my Creator’s way and ask, “God, what’s the next right move?”

Our Faith is perfected in those times when we can’t see a way out, can’t figure out a solution, but when we let go and trust anyhow.

My family lost one of dearest members this summer. My cousin Dorsey Philander Hamlin, just 45 years old with a wife, 2 kids and a huge family of us who loved him, went on to live for eternity with our Father in Heaven back in June. It happened unexpectedly. He was in a car accident on a Wednesday morning. I talked to him that same day as well as the following day after he was released from the hospital and he praised God for protecting him in that car accident. He told me that he felt fine and walked away from the accident with just a cut on his forehead that didn’t even need stitches.

My cousin, Philander, was there to support me during many of my greatest accomplishments and celebrations

Earlier that week he had even shared a couple of pictures of me and my, then fiance and now husband, on his Facebook page…something he never really did – share pictures of other people on his page. I jokingly asked him to what we deserved that honor and he told me he shared our photos because he loved us being together and loved seeing how happy and in-love we are with each other. That literally made my heart smile because I knew he didn’t normally do that 🙂

The day after my cousin was in that car accident and seemed absolutely fine to everyone, he went to sleep that Thursday night and never woke up Friday morning. Just typing this story right now with tears in my eyes is bringing back up all those emotions of hurt, confusion, pain and sadness. There is not a single day that goes by that I don’t think about my cousin. He loved the Lord so much. Everyone who knew him knew how much he loved the Lord. Our entire family has changed forever since his physical presence left us, but my FAITH in God reassures me that death is just a continuation of life, a re-arrangement of sorts, and that the legacy of love and faith my cousin leaves with us will never die.

There are some events that happen in this life that we may never have understanding of the “Why” or “How”, but I’m certain that I know “Who” can fix all the broken pieces when we can’t and when we can’t see a way to do it ourselves.

As sad as writing this story about my cousin made me all over again, I tell it because, yes, Faith is about believing in a Power greater than ourselves, having boldness in what we ask of our Creator and expecting greatness in life. However, it’s also about pushing through the gut-wrenching pain of loss, loneliness and heartache and choosing to believe that the sun will shine again. Besides, Philander loved life and his family and would never want us walking around sad and heartbroken! I can just hear him saying, “None of us comes here to stay so you better have your house in order and be ready when The Lord calls you home!”

Exercising my faith has come in many, expected and unexpected forms this year and it now makes sense why God laid it on my heart this time last year to choose the words Faith and Love as my themes for the year!

Faith in Love and a LOVE of Faith are two powerful combinations that will give you peace that surpasses all understanding……..if you are open to receive them 🙂

Dr. Carmen April

Entrepreneur, Podiatric Physician and Leadership Speaker serving to Uplift, Encourage and Inspire

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FAITH: My 2nd Theme for 2015

FAITH:

My 2nd Theme for 2015