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[beuinspired]

Freedom!

Hope you enjoyed your 4th of July yesterday. I surely did! As I reflection on what that day means for Americans I am reminded that freedom is a precious thing. To live free and feel free is some thing each and every one of us desires. Yet many of us don’t realize the cost of freedom. True freedom comes with a price tag. Someone or something has to pay the price for your freedom. As Americans soldiers, activists, community and political leaders have sacrifice life and limb in the name of freedom for all the freedoms we that live in the United Sates experience (be it some flaws in the system).

In the same way, as a believer in Christ, Jesus paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin, shame and a life without hope. We too have to pay a price for freedom in certain areas of our lives. Let me give you an example. You want to be debt free then you have to pay the price to curb your spending, not eating out as much and putting a savings plan into place. Here’s another example. You want to be free from that extra eight you’ve been carrying then you have to pay the price, put down the cookie and get physically active. 

Today I want to challenge you to take time to reflect on the freedoms you have. But don’t stop there see, in what areas you may not be experiencing true freedom and do what is necessary to be free. I know you can do it! The Bible says; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Live Free Tatum Monique

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Try Again!

Sometimes you can feel that you have failed in a certain areas so many times that what is the use of trying again. It’s right at that pivotal place of giving up that you have to make a decision on whether what you were attempting to achieve was and still is worth the effort. We as human beings tend to lean on the side of throwing in the towel when the present circumstances seem at odds with our future goals. I’ve learned that it is a dangerous thing to view your goals in the light of your present position. If you are living, you are still moving, changing, transforming and where you are today you won’t be there tomorrow. So do be so quick to pull the plug on that dream, that idea or goal. What is a roadblock today might be the very tool God is using to strengthen you and prepare you for what’s ahead. So today before you throw in the towel, pause, take another look, evaluate and determine if this is what God has for me? And if so, wrap the towel back around your neck and keep it moving. Plus you’ve come to far to turn around now!

Trying Again, Tatum Monique

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The Struggle Makes It Sweeter!

Have you ever had to struggle to achieve something? All of us should be nodding our heads in the affirmative. Nothing worth having or of any value comes without struggle. Struggle is to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive. Striving requires effort. Effort means that there will be some work that needs to be done on your part. Our dreams and goals will take work to see them come to pass. The Bible says, “Faith without works in dead”. Believing is one thing but when your belief hooks up with your work it can produce amazing things.

The best thing about struggling and striving to see your goals achieve is when you accomplish them it makes it so much sweeter, because you understand what it took to get you to the finish. So today, look at your struggle as a momentum builder. Use it to propel you to keep going and at the end what may have seem bitter and hard will taste oh so much more sweeter.

Here’s to Living the Sweet Life! Tatum Monique

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My Choice, My Win!

Last night the Golden State Warriors became the 2017 NBA Champions over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The newest member of the Warriors, small forward Kevin Durant was named the Finals MVP. From the moment he announced that he was leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Warriors at the end of the 2016 season, he has faced with mounting criticism for his choice. Many believe that he sold out for a ring, that he was unwilling to stick it out and work to bring a championship to OKC. However, I beg to differ! I believe he made a decision to WIN. His move to Golden State was a wise, strategic move to get him to the place that he saw himself from the time he was an eight year old boy playing on the basketball courts in Washington, DC. Kevin understood one thing, if I am to ever get to the place I’ve dreamed about I have to be willing to risk leaving what some people believe is a good place for a better place.

Many of us are stuck in a good place never experience what could be a better place because we are afraid of what other’s think. I want to encourage you today to not allow unproductive people to stop you for deciding you want to win. Winners have a winning mentality and make the necessary decisions that put them on a path to success at the risk of ridicule, mockery and slander. Don’t allow the fear of people’s opinions to stop you from winning. You have the potential of MVP Status ahead of you. Remember, there is a winner in you!

Winning! Tatum Monique

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The Response is My Responsibility!

When I was 24 I was diagnose with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). What is PCOS? Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a health condition that affects about 10 million women in the world. The exact cause is unknown, but it is considered a hormonal problem. Genetics and environmental factors are believed to be involved in the development of PCOS. It is a leading cause of female infertility and is responsible for a number of symptoms that can affect the body physically and emotionally. There is no cure. This was devastating for me as a young married woman who desired to have children of her own. It made me feel less than a woman as if something was missing, that I was broken beyond repair. However, eighteen years later I have come to the realization that my response to what may see as an unfair cross to bear is really my responsibility.

What do I mean by my responsibility? I am responsible for whether I allow a diagnosis that they say will never change to affect my whole life. It’s my responsibility to see how I can take the lemons handed to me, make lemonade and bless others and myself. That’s what I want to encourage you with today. Life will hand you lemons. Life will sometimes give you a bitter pill to swallow. Roses do have thorns. As beautiful as life may be it will sometimes hurt you. However, you can response in two ways. You can allow the circumstance to paralyze you in a place of disappointment and hurt or you can work what you’ve been handed and create something great out of it.

Today take the disappointments that you have faced and work them until you make something great out of it. When you do that you not only have the ability to bring a sense of peace to your life but also you will bless others in the process.

You choose, Tatum Monique

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Sometimes You Just Have To Be Quiet!

We are inundated with so many voices. The media, our families, friends, and even our own voices can overwhelm us with the constant flow of information, opinions and requests. There is noise everywhere. Noise can build up to the point where it disrupt our peace and hinders us from focusing on the things that really matter. In this season for myself I am learning to practice silence. Silence is the absence of sound. It's quietness and tranquility.

If we are honest many of us have a difficult time being in a place of silence. We live in a world that is so over simulated that when objects of simulation are removed we don’t know how to function. How many of us cannot fall asleep unless the television or the radio is on? Or sit in a quiet place for more than ten minutes? Practicing silence is a powerful tool that helps us to filter out the unnecessary from our minds and focus in on the thoughts and things that are most important. For us believers, it also allows the voice of God to speak to us without competing for our attention. The word of God tells us to daily meditate on the word. To meditate is to think, to reflect, deliberate and concentrate on some thing. Let’s be honest we cannot really meditate if our minds of full of competing voices vying for our attention.

I want to encourage you this week to take the challenge and join the journey to practicing silence. The more you do it, the more comfortable you become with it. Sometimes you just have to be quiet!

Practicing Silence, Tatum Monique

[beuinspired]

Winning!

As we enter a new month, I want to encourage and remind you that you are a winner. Many times we can allow the circumstances that we current face to make us believe that we are defeated. I’ve come to realize that a setback does not have to spell defeat. It is all in the way we look at things. It’s all about perception. You can see the momentary setback as defeat or an opportunity to recalibrate.

In my car I have a navigational system.  Sometimes when I input my destination and begin to follow the turn-by-turn instructions something can happen to get me off course. Maybe I have missed a turn or encountered unexpected roadblock because of road construction or an accident. It is in moments like those when my navigational system will recognize that I am off the assigned course and announce that it is recalibrating in order to navigate me back to the place I should be.

In life we will daily face things that will seek to get us off course and sometimes we do. But God has given us an internal navigational system that helps us to recalibrate and get back on course. Yes, things come to challenge our forward momentum but they don’t have to defeat you. The ability to recalibrate is an essential trait of a winner and because God has already placed that ability in us we can rest assure that we always win. So, kick start this new day in this new month knowing you are a winner.

You’re a Winner, Tatum Monique

[beuinspired]

Keep Going!

This past weekend the babe and I spent it in Chicago witnessing my little sister in Christ marry the man God prepared for her. Since it was Memorial Day weekend we decided to take the road trip and drive 12 ½ hours each way. Yeah I know, crazy right, but it was a great opportunity to spend some quality time together, talking and dreaming as a couple.

Along our journey we encountered was would be considered roadblocks – construction, road kill, traffic and moments of tiredness. In spite of all of these seeming impediments to our journey towards our destination we still made it. They may have slow us down but it did not stop us. Why? Because we were determine to keep going. This is just like life! We all have a destiny, goals and plans that we are journeying towards and along our road we will too face things and people that appear to hinder us from reaching our destination. However, those that don’t succumb to these temporary roadblocks have applied certain thought patterns that help them over and keep going. I want to share them with you and hope that you will pack them in your traveling bag as you continue your journey towards destiny.

1. The roadblocks are temporary and not permanent. You have to see that these as temporary. If you don’t you will allow them to keep you stuck in a place you were intended to past through.

2. The roadblocks give you an opportunity to search for an out of the box solution. Sometimes roadblocks are design to stretch your thinking and ingenuity. Oftentimes we will never think beyond what has been done before or challenge our own paralyzing thought patterns until we are faced with something to make us stretch in our thinking.

3. The roadblocks don’t just affect you. You are not the only one facing roadblocks. While on the road I realize that we weren’t the only vehicles that had to deal with these roadblocks. Roadblocks are not exclusive to you. Others have faced them and overcame them. Know this, these individuals become examples and testimonies that if they, human like us, can conquer their roadblocks so can we.

So this week as you continue to journey towards your destination know that the roadblocks on your road of life are not permanent, they give you an opportunity to be creative in your thinking and they are not exclusive to you. Others may get there before you but it’s not how fast you get to your destination, it’s that you get there. So keep going!

Won’t Stop, Tatum Monique

[beuinspired]

Growing Pains!

Growth is never easy! Why? Growth demands change. Anything that is growing will go through change – transformation. Change is to become different and anytime you alter the state of anything you disrupt its status quo. Many of us want change, but are we willing to disrupt our status quo? Status quo is defined as the existing state or condition. Isn’t that funny? We want change yet when the opportunity to change comes we fight it. Are you fighting change? Let’s be honest, I know for myself I have desired to change certain things in my life and when the opportunity came I found an excuse or reason why staying in my current state was the better option. Only to find my self later on depressed and beating up myself emotionally because I was still where I didn’t want to be. Are you sabotaging your growth?

In the past year I have learned that growth will not happen without change and change sometimes can be painful and uncomfortable; but if you keep the end goal in mind the change will be worth it. How do you get through the difficult moments of change on your journey to better? Here’s two ways:

1. Keep the end goal in mind. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2 in reference to Jesus, “…Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.” Jesus when through a major life-change and survived the pain of it because He focused on the joy that was waiting Him when it was all done. Don’t forfeit the joy that awaits you because you fear the process. When you focus on the prize the uncomfortable-ness of the race becomes motivation to keep going. When you hit a difficult spot in your process of change say a prayer to God and ask Him to give you the endurance to keep running. Often the endurance He gives will come in a reminder of why you are running in the first place and what awaits you at the end.

2. Get rid of the excuses. Stop giving yourself an out. When we take responsibility for where we are and where we want to go we stop giving ourselves excuses to not do what is necessary. Don’t allow yourself or anyone else to make excuses for you not to change. Throw your excuses out and embrace the change that is the key to your destiny, your growth is dependent on it. Girl, I see you growing already and the change is worth it!

Keep Growing, Tatum Monique

[beuinspired]

Reflections

As I reflect on the events of the last 9 hours my heart is hurts for those that have lost love ones in Manchester, England last night. What should have been a fun evening of music; joy and laughter turned into a tragedy of what seems like insurmountable grieve. Young lives with their parents lost, injured and terrorized but someone whose heart was so hard and cold. Not only do I hurt at the events happening in our world but also I am reminded that today is not promised to any of us. We truly only have the presence day in which we occupy. Tomorrow is a hope that we place our faith in God to see. So, this morning my question for us is what are we doing with our today? Yes we must plan for tomorrow that is wise to do but what are we doing today that will make an impact in the world and lives around us. How are we utilizing the 24 hours we’ve been given? How are we maximizing our time? How are we looking to not only better our selves but also others?

Today I don’t have many words for you. However, I want to provoke you to think about how you use the time you’ve been given – your actions, words and attitude. Begin to question whether what I’m about to do or say is a benefit not just to be but others. Question, whether the action I’m about to take will please God. Question, what are my motives. If I do this or say this will it make me a better person? Question, what is the root reason for my actions and can I live with the consequences of them? May you and I take the necessary time to really evaluate what we do, say and how it affects the world and people around us.

Thinking, Tatum Monique

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Finding Myself

Have you ever felt lost? Gotten to a point where you’re not sure what the next season of life is heading? If the answer is yes, I can so relate. The more we walk this journey called life and deal with the day-to-day responsibilities we can lose our identity along the way. Often we will mistake what we do or the role we occupy in other people’s lives as a description of who we are.

While on vacation I had the needed time to step away from my daily routine to really meditate on my life and where I am on my journey. As you can probably surmise it was a real eye-opener. That brief get-away helped me to come to an acknowledgement of some things that I personally needed to change and to put a plan in place. Y’all know I’m always talking about having a plan. 

However, what good is a plan if it is not executed. Many of us have plans to change our lives, develop spiritually, grow in our businesses, build better relationships, and conquer those goals we promised ourselves back in January (2017, 2016, 2015, etc.). You get the picture! Earlier this week I read an article for ministry leaders that raised an interesting point. It shared that having intent to do means nothing if there is no action.

So, I realized that in order to truly find myself and be authentically me I had to go beyond intent. There were some actions I needed to execute and put in motion if I was to ever see the desired change I wanted. No needed! Don’t let your intent fool you into not making the necessary actions because when you start acting you begin to discover more about you than you thought.

Make it a day of discover Tatum Monique 

[beuinspired]

Living His Truth

There’s an expression floating around where many people are professing that they are “living their truth”. I’ve even been guilty of using it! However, after some contemplation on what that really means I have a new perspective. I have notice that many people, including me (tell the truth, shame the devil), have used the term to justify not making some needed changes in their lives. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe the phrase started out as an expression for one taking responsible for their lives and being completely authentic.

 Often we use these cute clichés to avoid the process of transformation in our lives. You really cannot have change without the acceptance of truth. I want to challenge our thinking this morning to really delve deep into this idea and ask our selves this one question, what is my truth based on? Is it my past experiences, heartbreaks, triumphs, failures or victories? What am I using to frame my truth? We all need to answer this question because we build our lives on what we perceive to be the truth for us. How we grow spiritually, emotionally and physically are all dependent on what we believe the truth is.

“Living my truth” can be built on so many things and if not careful it can be the wrong things. How many women do you know have given up on being in a loving relationship because they have experience the heartbreak of a bad divorce or someone that treated them less than they deserved? Now all men are dogs and they will never date again. How many people walk around bitter, biting and pushing people away because of a lost of a child, death of a love one, being let go from their dream career or facing some illness because instead of walking through the process of healing they allow the pain of the experience to control their lives. Many of these things can cause individuals to cover up attitudes of bitterness, anger, selfishness and more under the mask of “I’m just living my truth”, this is who I am, I’m being authentic, love it or not.

I don’t know about you this morning but I am determined to live my truth based on something that I know is eternal and unchanging. What’s that? The Word of God! I have found that when I live the word of God out I experience what real living is. The Bible says, “The truth will set you free”. It also says “Thy word is truth”. More over, Jesus says, “I am the truth….” I rather live in God’s truth because He knows my end from my beginning. He has already fixed my days and times. He has ordered my steps and He will never lead me down a path that would destroy me.

I want to live a truth that is untarnished by human emotions or proclivities. One that is not swayed one way or the other based on the external experiences happening around or to me. I have found that when my spirit man is living in truth every other aspect of my life falls in to place. I also understand that in our humanity it is a daily fight that you must intentional make the decision to live in God’s truth and not our own. Let these words from scripture guide you today, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (Proverbs 3:5&6)

Don’t just stand in your truth (the way you see things) but measure your truth up against the truth of God and see if it balances out. Real truth sets free. Real truth leads you to abundant living. Real truth causes transformative from old mindsets and attitudes that are rooted in a corrupt nature. I hope you experience truth today – He’s waiting to transform your life for abundance.

Living His Truth Not Mine! Tatum Monique

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Small Victories

Hey Fabulous! Yes, I have finally returned from my three-week vacation in Barbados. It was amazing and much needed. I have learned over the last few years that you cannot keep pouring out and not take time to replenish. You will find yourself empty and wanting. That being said, I am back, energized and ready to help you finish the year strong.

Today I want to encourage you to celebrate the small victories. We are so accustom to celebrating when something major happens forgetting that everyday God gives us small, simple victories that may seem insignificant to us, however, when you add them up you see that you are winning everyday.

Let me share what recently happened to me. As soon as I got back on US soil I had an appointment with nutritionist and doctor. He put me on a new regiment and told me that I need to drink more water among other things. Well, I nearly passed out when he said, “I need to drink at least 150 ounces of water a day”. Honey, was he out of his mind I would be running to the bathroom all day. Then I heard the Spirit of God whisper to me you need it. Thank God for the loving conviction on the Father. So I set out yesterday to drink as much water as I could. I had the goal of 150 ounces and I wasn’t sure I could do it. But guess what, 20 minutes before bedtime (LOL) I hit my goal. It may not have been a major thing but it was my victory nonetheless.

So today, look for the small victories. They may not be major to other people but I am learning that small victories add up to major triumphs. So here’s your assignment for the day. Before you close your eyes to sleep tonight take a few moments and survey your day and see how many small victories you’ve won and celebrate them.

Keep your eyes open, Tatum Monique

[beuinspired]

This is me!

 All week long we’ve been dealing with trust. As we close out this week of blog posts on trust I want to leave a parting thought. Trust begins with an authentic you. Trust in any of your relationships will be strengthened if all parties remain their authentic selves. No one wants to deal with an imposter. People love to know that they are dealing with the real you. Also there is nothing more liberating than being true to your self. If you can’t trust you to be honest, authentic and genuine with you then no one else will. In the words of the poet, William Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true….” So how do you be true to yourself? Here’s three ways to remain authentic.

Don’t lie to yourself. Learn no matter what to tell your self the truth. Don’t lie. Be honest with you even when honesty leads you down an uncomfortable road. You have to be able to tell yourself the hard truth. When you can be truthful with you, you live in a place of authenticity. 

Be unapologetically unique. Don’t be a copy of someone else. BE YOU! I always say there is nothing worst than a poor copy of a great original. Copies are never as good or well defined as the original. Copies are a fixed picture in time of the original is at the moment but it don’t have the ability to change when the original changes. In other words when the original changes the copy is now out dated and a new copy must be taken. Why would you want to be stuck in an outdated place? Never apologize for being different and walking in your uniqueness. You were created uniquely. You were created to stand out. There is no one on earth like you. Even your very fingerprints are unique to you. You might look like your mother or your father but you are not your parents. You may have a twin sibling but you are still unique to you.

Don’t throw away your values to fit in. Your values are the underpinnings of your character and your character is who you are. If your values can easily be thrown to the side then who are you? Shifting values is a sign of a person that is unsure and uncomfortable in their identity. A lost identity opens the door for you to evolve into someone that you were never meant to be. It’s living a lie and living a lie can never be authentic no matter how hard you try. Let’s be authentic, real and honest with our selves and who we are. It’s OK to be you.

Have a great weekend and remember remain authentic! Tatum Monique  

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It's Broken!

Have you ever driven in a car and all of sudden the driver says, “my tire pressure or my engine light just came on”? Those little indicator lights on the car’s dashboard are there to warn the driver that something in a specific area is not functioning right. The driver knows that if they want their car to keep operating at its highest potential they cannot ignore the warning signs. The longer the warning sign is ignored the greater the potential that it will become a costly repair or become irreparable.

Just like the warning light indicators on a car’s dashboard trust when broken gives indicators of the presents of trouble. When something is broken there is always signs that indicate two things either it’s in need of repair or it’s time to move on. Broken trust is just like that. So what are the signs you should look for when trust is in danger of breaking down? What are the red flags that you need not to ignore if your relationships are to remain strong and lasting? Here are three of the main red flags that often appear when trust is broken.

Red Flag – Communication has broken down. “We don’t talk anymore” or “I don’t have much to say to them” are the usually phrases uttered in reference to someone in which trust has been broken. Healthy relationships, not perfect, but healthy relationships maintain open and consistent communication. If you avoid speaking to a person that is a sure sign that trust has gone out the window. You know, letting their call go to voicemail or telling them you are on an important call and you will call them back later but you never do? Red Flag, trust is broken!

Red Flag – M.I.A. (Missing in Action). Either you or they have gone M.I.A. Yes, missing in action. Excuses abound as reasons why one of the parties cannot make it to an event; be that dinner, a birthday party, an important meeting or a business outing. Your presence is scarce. The access they once had is limited or non-existent altogether. If that is the case, trust packed its bags and left the building. Red Flag, trust is broken!

Red Flag – Exit plans are made. You’ve already begun thinking about the future without that relationship being a part of it. You’re making plans to move on. You’re planning your exit strategy from the business partnership and preparing to start your own company. You’re looking for a new place to live or you’ve changed your phone number. When someone begins to make plans to move on they have resigned that the relationship is beyond repair. When someone believes that a relationship is beyond repair trust no longer exist. Red Flag, trust is broken!

If you begin seeing any of these warning signs in your relationships whether from you or the other party there is a problem with trust. Trust has broken down and if the relationship is worth saving then don’t delay dealing with it and seek to rebuild trust. Now there are some relationships that you indeed need to let go of. Sometimes it is better to let a relationship go because it is not what God intends for your future. This is where prayer and discern comes in. As we said earlier warning signs can do two things, let you know it’s time for a tune up or it’s time turn it in. No matter which one the important thing is that you don’t ignore the signs. Ignoring them won’t make them go away. So look at your relationships be they business or personal and check for warning signs. If the warning indicator light is on in your relationship handle it before it’s too late or before you or the other party suffers unnecessary damage. Know this, even if you have to move on understand that it’s OK because God will sometimes allow something to break beyond repair in order to bring better into your life.

Don’t Ignore the Signs, Tatum Monique

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Honestly

Trust me, building trust takes work. As we can see from our dialogue all week trust building in our relationships will not happen if all parties are not actively involved in doing so. Now you are not responsible for someone else’s behavior or actions. However, you are responsible for yours. So let’s continue to look at strategies that will help you build trust in all of your relationships.

Always be honest. Honestly, honesty is the best policy. At the foundation of trust is honesty. Unless you are honest there is no trust. Lying to yourself or others eats away at trust. Think about it, if you are constantly lied to after awhile you are hesitant to believe anything that comes out of the person’s mouth. When you are honest, even in difficult moments, it builds trust. Don’t lie to others or yourself. Honesty is the mother of trust. Trust is never produces where honesty is not present.

Always operate by your core values. When you operate by your core values you leave very little room to be dishonest with yourself or others. Your core values are the principles to which you guide your life. They are the non-negotiable that dictate your behavior and actions. The question is do you know what your core values are? Have you taken the time to clearly establish what principles will guide your life? If you are not sure, I want to encourage you today do so. 

Still Trusting, Tatum Monique

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Trust Me!

It all begins with me. Yes, building trust in any relationship begins with you. Whether that relationship is personal or business trust is a key component to its survival and growth. No relationship will grow without trust. Trust is like an anchor to a ship, the anchor steadies the ship and helps it to be unmovable even in the stormiest of seas. Trust is the anchor of any relationship. It is the thing that keeps the relationship fixed when everything else around is rocking. However, just as strong as trust is it is also fragile. Trust can be easily broken and once broken hard to repair. We will deal more with broken trust later in the week. Today let’s look at several strategies for building trust. Alright, let’s get to work.

Do what you say you’re going to do. This is probably the biggest way to build trust. To build trust you have to keep your word. Keeping your word means following through with corresponding action. It’s not just saying you’re going to do something it’s doing it. Consistently acting upon what you say will build trust. This is important because there will come times when you are unable to follow through but because you’ve been consistent those moments don’t break the relationship down they actually strengthens it because it gives the other party an opportunity to exhibit trust in the relationship. Do what you say and say what you do.

Communicate don’t just talk. Effective communication builds trust. Relationships break down quickly and sometimes to the point of no repair because intentions and expectations weren’t made clear from the beginning. Clarity in communication is essential.  Never leave unsure if the other person understood what you meant. One effective way of ensuring that the person understands what you mean is to ask them to convey back to you what they heard. Often time people hear what is not said more than what is being said. So don’t just talk. Talking is merely an exercise in verbal ability but when you communicate it is taking that ability to verbalize but doing it with understanding. 

Take your time it can’t be rushed. Building trust doesn’t happen over night. Trust building takes time. Time and experience tests the strength and growth of a relationship. You can’t rush this. Yes, I’m a person that believes in taking risk but you must learn the difference between calculated risk and blind risk. Until a relationship has been tested you should proceed with caution. Give room for trust to develop but don’t be blind. Every relationship will give off signals, warning signs and red flags where problems arise. Being aware of these and taking the time to work on them can build a strong foundation of trust in any relationship. Now don’t throw out the relationship at the first sign of trouble, take the time to work on it and if it is repairable time will tell. Rushing the process can do more damage than good. Anything put together to quick will have a greater potential for costly mistakes. Take your time. Don’t sign that contract to quickly without reading the fine print. Take your time. Don’t say yes until expectations and intentions are clearly stated and understood. Just take a moment and look back on some of the relationships whether personal or business that you rushed into too quickly. I know for me many of them no longer exist because I labeled the relationship at a level that it could never live up to. I didn’t give it the time necessary to be built properly. Some things need to be time tested. A house built in a day is bound to come crashing down because time is a product of care. You never rush what you want to perfect. Trust me you’ll be glad you did!

You’ve got to build it! Tatum Monique