The ANGRY Road

I've been on this road for years now. It's been full of ups and downs. I try to keep my comments and observations as positive as possible but I'm finding that real people are dealing with real shit and they are in real need of some real talk. So in case you didn't realize it from the first expletive I dropped for you faint of heart it's about to get real. So here's where you are welcomed to get off.

everybody off...  Who is left? The nosey. The needy. And the ones that God (yes I said God) has decided that I should specifically mentor to. God created me. God is molding me. God is patient with me. I'm patient with most of you. Until I can't with you. God hasn't told me to be a doormat or a martyr. Neither is my calling though I've played one on TV for too many years that stage is well over.

Now, enough of the reintroductions. Either you are on the road with me or you are not. I'm good either way.

So, my current condition on the road 2 success? PISSED! I'm not having my needs met, I'm working very hard to meet the needs of others and I'm being abused and unappreciated by some. Well, that is I was. Until I decided I am not anymore.  It's not easy to stop being the 'victim' when you don't see yourself as such.  I always felt helping people was victimless because I enjoyed it and I appreciate being appreciated. But that's where the problem lies. Users don't APPRECIATE you they DEPRECIATE you! VICTIMLESS???? I say not. Unfortunately, I'm a 'joint' I like to be connected and I enjoy being part of the 'supply' so I keep getting sucked in. Until this moment. Right at this very moment I'm moving people around on my list of priorities and reclassifying them where they ought to be. Whole bunch of y'all in the 'get f@&ed' column. (Yeah, I said y'all cuz u also fall in that 'Nosey' class so I know you still reading). Well, catch an eyeful or an earful if you are having someone read this to your illiterate ass.  I'm a bit done.  Hope you got all you could cause the ride is over. Don't call, don't ask me how I'm doing. Please don't ask me what's wrong, because nothing is wrong, I'm full of right.

As for my prayer warrior sisters who really have my back, pray for me. Don't call me either, I don't want to accidentally give you a shot of something what belongs to someone else.  If you love me and you know my heart you will have only good things to say about me. If you don't, you will draw your own conclusions, make up some bullshit in your mind that someone hurt me or whatever and feel free to enjoy that. It's probably the only form of creative expression you have.

I am an artist and sometimes I have to deal with my darkness. Actually many of us have a dark side. Most of us prefer to hide it in a bottle, a bag of weed, in promiscuous sex or even by telling jokes. But the one thing I've learned from the recent days events is either face it and deal with it or bury it and it will bury your ass.  I choose to live.  Even if I have to kill some of y'all off to do so.

The Road 2 Success is REAL and filled with real stuff. It's not for everyone. We all won't make it and I'm no longer forcing or carrying anyone along with me.  Join me or step off. And please never forget there is more than one way to the top....this just happens to be mine.

Keep rising to the top by encouraging others to rise to the TOP - That's the Road 2 Success 4 You way!!

Its been a while since I posted to my blog.  I have been journal-ing, living life, experiencing some ups and downs.  I just wanted to share a little bit of what's going on in my world right now.  I feel like you guys are family and I am sitting on the top of the world and just wanted to share.  I feel like a TOTALLY different person. 

Last night I was nominated AND WON the Certified Master Trainer Award for Icon of Success (The Financial Online Education Company).  I received certifications, awards and accolades AND I was invited to do a long standing radio show with 'The Money Man' on WGIV FM (a local Charlotte Station - available online http://player.liquidcompass.net/WGIVFM) next Thursday at 1pm EST. 

What's even better is that my teammates and students honored me with a beautiful silver engraved jewelry box and engraved necklace. I've also stepped out on faith and decided to launch the first edition of my magazine - The Road 2 Success 4 You Magazine.  In it I will honor individual small business owners who are making contributions to their local communities impacting the lives of children, disabled or disadvantaged individuals.  My first edition will be available on line and in print April 2014. 

I'm definitely in 'go' mode and trusting God every step of the way.  If any of you would like to personally hear more about what I'm doing to educate the community; I invite you to join me on Wednesday night at 9:30pm EST on a conference call 712-432-0075 passcode 644582# or send me an email:  lisathatch@theroad2success4you.com to set up a personal call. 

God is seriously doing exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ask or even think.  Each and every day!!!

Restrained or Delivered?

Restrained vs. Delivered

I've been wondering about the difference between the two.  I have seen so many people say they are 'recovering' this and 'recovering' that and they say that they still struggle with it, myself included.  So I wondered, am I really 'recovered' anything or have I just gotten better at 'retraining' myself.

I think about it as it relates to everything I have challenges with.  So you'll know I'm not secretly talking about you, I'll let you in on my challenges. Ya'll know one of them is food but the other challenge has been cussing...(ooh - not the good Reverend!) YEAH CUSSING! (for my northern readers CURSING/SWEARING - LOL). 

I didn't utter a single cuss word for over 12  years (while my son was from ages 1-12) it wasn't hard.  I just decided I didn't want my son to associate that behavior with me.  But something happened at 12...it was probably his wild ass turning 12! - (whoops...one of those pesky cusses).  Anyway, somehow, I then decided it was probably ok to let him hear me cuss so he would know I was 'real' (my thoughts words/not his). 

So, I think about this now.  Was I delivered from cussing or had I just exibited some intense form of restraint?  Now that my son is 16, I've found that I have been cussing more freely (not around him, but just whenever the mood suits me).  At first, I was like, ok, this is enough.  Time to curtail it.  But guess what, bloop, out comes a cuss.  WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!  I ask myself. 

Some people would say I should 'surrender it to the Lord'.  Yeah, if it works for you - have at it.  I've tried that.  Others have said give yourself a consequence for it like snap a rubber band or whatever whenever you cuss.  MMHMM...not really into gratuitous pain.  I've also heard tell that one should pray about it.  I prayed about it and as soon as I got up from the prayer, I hit my toe and guess what - BLLOOOPPP.  hmmm...What else could I do?  Distract myself from it.  Yeah, ok, so instead of cussing people out I will cut them down with words they don't understand and accomplish the same task.  Umm...but wouldn't that be wrong too?  Damn?!

I asked God about it.  He hasn't really finished answering me (as you can probably tell, since I'm still cussing) but He has started the conversation.  His question to me was, 'Why do you want to cuss?'  Of course my cursory first response was an emphatic, 'I don't!!' So then He asked me, 'So why ARE you still cussing then?'  That one, I couldn't respond too quickly to.  I'm gonna have to marinate on it.  WHY do I still do something that I don't like (or do I) and that I don't get any enjoyment from (or do I) and that doesn't represent who I am (or does it?)

Dag God! (I couldn't put the d-word that close to His name cuz I was worried about catching a lightening bolt).  But why You gotta be so difficult? Asking all them questions, asking all them questions...

talk soon...hopefully, post deliverance.  Restrained is too much like work. 

How do you find your destiny?

How do you find your destiny?  Determine what is destroying your peace.

So often I ask myself, 'what is my gift?' 'where is my destiny?' 'what am I supposed to be doing?'  God has placed in me so many diverse abilities that I often get caught up in the 'ability' and get in 'busy work' which spins me into an exhausted frenzy and eventually depression.

We have been focused on the prayer call over the past few weeks on 'Vision' and 'Goals'.  The start of a new year often has everyone focused on 'righting' all the 'wrongs' of yester-year.  Lose weight, gain weight, write a book, travel the country, learn a new instrument, stop smoking, quit drinking...the list goes on and on and on.  Some of us start out really, really strong and get it in.  We address the 'thing' that is usually the most obvious symptom to our problem.  We got fat, we need to lose weight.  We got skinny, we  need to gain weight.  We smoke cigarettes, we quit smoking cigarettes.  You get the idea.  The problem is we are addressing the 'symptoms' or outward signs of our problems and not the root cause.

When I moved to Charlotte, NC from NYC over 17 years ago, every house on my little street had a little flower bed.  Either around their mailbox or around the tree in their front yard or right in front of their porch.  So I decided, I wanted some flowers too.  I went to Walmart, got a bag of dirt and some pansies (I think that's what they were) and I planted them around my tree.  I spent all day digging and placing and watering.  They were sooooo pretty and I had accomplished it.  Then I went back to my regular life.  A few days later, there were some funny looking things in with my flowers.  I didn't like them, so I plucked them just below the surface level.  My flowers were back to being pretty again.  Mind you, this whole time, my neighbor - Mr. Charles (cuz you gotta put a 'Mr.' on people who are older than you names - lol, its a southern thang).  So Mr. Charles was out there every day in his flower garden.  I figured he just liked it out there.  I on the other hand, enjoyed seeing my flowers when I came into the house but all that in the yard gardening and tending...notsomuch.

So my flowers started to have a lot of funky green plants up around them (I later learned they were weeds).  I asked Mr. Charles, how would I get the weeds out of my flowers.  He said, 'Pluck them up at the root'.  So, I did.  (or at least I thought I did) and then they came back!  WTH...Mr. Charles has led me wrong.  "Mr. Charles, why do I keep getting weeds?" I asked.  He responded, "Cuz you ain't plucked them all up!".  So I asked, "How long do I have to keep plucking?"  He responded, "For as long as it takes to get it all.".

You might think at this moment I had an 'aha' moment.  But I did.  But I didn't.  I went behind my house and got my lawn mower and ran over the whole flower garden.  Because I decided it was just too much work.

How much work are you willing to put in to find your destiny?  How much work are you willing to put in to get to your 'peace' so that you can finally be free of all those weeds that keep destroying every step of progress that you make?  Anything worth having is worth working for.  God's word says that if a man don't work, a man don't eat.

If you'd like to dig deep and find out what God is trying to help you to be free from get real.  Contact me for a consultation and we'll start your journey.  No quick fixes.  No easy outs.  But good success.  704-493-2035.  Let's get 'Back to Eden' - a Christian Approach to Living.

SELF reflections...

Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-assured...These are all buzz words that we use to 'try' (key word) to encourage ourselves.  But what happens when those are the same words that get in our way?  What do we do when the image we have of our 'self' is not enough?  There are times, in the middle of believing in our 'self'' that we begin to let 'reality' set in.  (We call it reality - because we've been trained to, but its really vain imaginations).  When that reality sets in and we remember that we are not qualified, that we are still fat, that we are still unemployed, that we still don't have enough money, that we are still sick, that we are (you fill in the blank)...what is your 'self-esteem' doing when you are dealing with all those thoughts? 

Its sitting right there - taunting you.  Calling you a fake, a phony, a charlatan.  What do you do then?  Well, what should be done, should have been done EARLIER.  All that 'self' business should have been couched properly.  (I said couched - but coached could work here too).  See - we can't expect the faith in our 'self' to accomplish what faith in 'God' can accomplish unless it is 'couched/coached' properly! (I just realized I use a lot of exclamation points - I get excited so easily!!!! - in case you didn't realize it, that was a little ADHD for ya:)  Anyway - we put our faith in the wrong basket.  We have to put our FAITH in GOD. 

Some of you may be asking - well, I'm supposed to have high self-esteem aren't I?  YES but of course you except NOT BY YOUR 'SELF'.  The scriptures say, 'I can do all things.....' RIGHT?  WRONG!!!  It says, 'I can do all things - THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!'  We take it out of context because we have been taught to 'believe in yourself' (how many songs written on this) and 'if you don't believe in yourself - who will' (how many books are written on this) and my favorite 'you can do anything you put your mind to' (ala 'Little engine that could').  All of this is only PARTIALLY true.  The critical component is CHRIST/GOD. 

When we 'try' to do it without Him we FAIL and we SIN! Dag...a two-fer for your face!  How do we fail?  Well, we usually quit - we say things like, 'I guess I really can't do a., b., c., I'd be happier if I just accepted that as a fact.' or we have pity parties, and invite the whole world so they can make us feel better, 'Oh...its ok - you tried.  You gave it your best.  (look at all those 'you's' and note them).  We fail when we do it in our own might and our own strength. 

So you say...ok, ok, I guess I get that...but how did I SIN?  You SINned because YOU put YOU before and/or in the place of GOD!  What?  Huh?  No I didn't!  Yeah - you did.  You said, 'I got this', I can do this' I, I, I, I, me, me, me and when things were rolling along well you were taking all the credit for it. That is SIN.  We have to get in our positions, behind God.  (Thou shall have no other gods before me. Italic emphasis mine). 

Do it today.  Dream your dream.  Its a great day for it.  Work your Faith.  Faith with out works is dead.  PLACE  your faith.  Faith in GOD not man (ourselves included).  For with God NOTHING shall be impossible!  (exclamation point MINE for emphasis!!!  I told ya'll I was excited!!!) - Luke 1:37

I'm heading to the gym - what are YOU doing?

One Step at a Time is Enough for Me

One Step at a Time is Enough for Me

Step-by-step, i have the power to change all that is not working in my life.  With each step I take, I am on the pathway to the best of who I am. Somettimes I go a bit off-course, but I always find my way back again.  Peace comes from realizing that all that needs to be done will be done.  I just start from the place where I am right now and take it one step at a time.  In so doing, I pull myself out of the rut of inaction.  I trust the wisdom within my being to show me what needs to be done.  And I will do it...one step at a time.  I take a deep breath and relax.  Yes...

ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
(Copyright (c) 2006 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.)

How many times have you resolved to start bettering yourself only to get discouraged by your PAST results?  Why do we allow ourselves to do that?  We have to LOOK AHEAD!  Well, then when we look ahead, things look so far away, they don't look attainable.  We are looking too far.  Take ONE STEP toward your goal.  Just one.  And right after you take that first step...take ONE STEP more.  All of the goals look unattainable when we try to take it all in at once.

If you showed up in kindergarten and the teacher put on the board the entire syllabus you would need to graduate from college we would have either stood there in total shock and awe (or our parents would have for us) and then quit believing that there would be no way we could complete all of that in our ability (or our own finite perception of our abilities).  But they started you out playing, scribbling with a crayon, making shapes, chanting numbers that made no sense to you and spelling words you didn't know the  meaning of and one day...it made sense!

New Year Challenge!!

1.  Form a local team of like minded individuals with common goals (no more than 5 people but at least 3).  2.  Choose a start date (I suggest within the next 48hrs) and weigh in
3.  Choose a commitment (I suggest $5/week)
4.  Choose a end date (I suggest no more than 2 weeks).
5.  COLLECT THE MONEY AND GET STARTED!

Compete and encourage one another at the same time.  To lose the  most pounds or inches or both.  At the end of the prescribed time period whomever has made the most progress takes the pot. 

Rinse and repeat:) 

You don't have to look like a size 5 when you are done.  You don't have to fit into those skinny jeans.  You just have to be one step closer to the healthier you that you deserve to be!

Send us your achievements and your success stories.  We want to see how you conquered the world ONE STEP AT A TIME and WON!!

Romans 8:37-39
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For information on Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss email me directly at thatchl@yahoo.com or call 704-493-2035.  I look forward to supporting you.  Remember, its really NOT about the weight. 

Meanwhile...keep walking on water. 

Exposed - Part II

Exposed Part II

This is a  new stage. Things are going 'well' but you still can't be happy, you still refuse to 'relax'. Looking over your shoulder at yourself thinking, I could be happy here....but it won't last. Or hmmm, this is too good to be true, so it must not be. Or even, who am I kidding, I've never been able to (fill in your own blank here) for long, so I'm only setting myself up for a bigger let down if I get used to this.

Every change, every 'success' is also going to reveal a crack. A crack in the facade, the facade or image you are creating for yourself. Especially if we are only doing 'surface' work. Remember the roads they re-did in front of my house? I would have had them simply slap some 'new' asphalt on top of the old and make it pretty and smooth looking and be done with it. But now we realize, had they done that, it might have been completed more quickly, it may have looked good, it may have even lasted...for a little while, but eventually the breaches below, the weaknesses and imperfections that were left unattended to would cause the new, smooth, pretty upper layer to crack.

The new year has brought with it a tremendous amount of pressure to 'get fit', 'lose weight', 'get healthy'. The one that is the closest to where our focus ought to be is 'get healthy' but not just 'physically fit' that's only the surface. It takes a larger commitment to get fully fit. To delve into understanding (and repairing) all that lies under the surface. Then and only then can we be 'whole'.

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Meanwhile...Keep walking on water!
Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035

Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am712-432-0232 passcode 813766#

Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
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