How I am losing a THOUSAND POUNDS!

LOSING WEIGHT

How I lost over a thousand pounds and I am STILL losing…!

All of us have a tendency to be over indulgent.

We are gluttonous with snacks, alcohol, and even people.

I had become obese with other peoples problems.

It was such a gradual process that I didn’t notice until I couldn’t fit into my own life.

The buttons were popping everywhere and I remained in denial.

I tried pills, reduction diets, moving and exercising my rights but, no breakthrough.

 As a matter of fact, I collected even more pounds of unwanted weight.

Then I came up with a solution, a formula that would prove highly effective.

 This worked for me and hopefully it can work for you too!

TAKE AN INVENTORY

What kind of people are in your life? What demographic is your closest friends, your closest family members and co-workers?

Are they successful? Not just financially, but in relationships, and in other aspects of their life. Begin thinking of WHOM you spend the most of your time with.

DETERMINE ACUTE AND CHRONIC FRIENDS

Sometimes our friends go through seasons where they lean on us more. The seasons are where we are supposed to be more available to them, as they need us. However, seasons are just that- SEASONS. They are not years and in some cases, decades and so on.

When a friend is leaning on us and needing us longer than a season they are a chronic friend. A friend that is only experiencing a season is an acute friend.

You probably have already started a mental list of who is what in your mind. Good.

 Go ahead and write it down. Not on your blog or social media site but, on a piece of paper that you can hide.

DETERMINE ASSETT AND LIABILITY FRIENDS

There are people that lend us wisdom, laughter and are the ones we call when we need someone. These are people that encourage us and bring positive qualities into our lives.

Then there are ones who do just the opposite. They may even be positive in one area but not the other. These are the friends that come to your birthday party (even volunteer to help!) and then get into a fight with their spouse in front of everyone. Also, the friends that are always broke and depend on your financial support. They are a liability because they cause you financial risk.

TRIGGER FRIENDS

These are friends who may be asset friends but create an environment inside of you that promotes negative behavior or actions.

For example, I had a very funny and positive girlfriend. She was an amazing presence. But, for whatever reason every time she and I would go anywhere, her drinking and late night hours would bring out my inner disco ball. I would find myself drinking too much, staying out too late and being a general ignorant fool.

 She maintained herself nicely, I however, not so much. So, therefore she was a trigger friend because of what I became around her. All trigger friends are not necessarily ones to “lose” but rather closely inspect the intensity of consequences you suffer because of this trigger. If moderate to severe, “lose” this friend until you get YOU right.

Now that you have categorized all of the people in your life, separate each one into a sub category of family and co-workers. These are the people in your life you can not get rid of sometimes. However, like carbohydrates, limit.

LET GO

You look at your list you can see what is making you heavy.

Too much weight makes us unable to carry our own. We are burdened down and lose the energy to stay focused and create our own positive life.

We can not carry people. (He may be your brother- but he still is heavy...) We can, however, give them encouragement and support and should also receive the same from them. If they offer nothing and take everything, it may be hard, but begin distancing yourself and let them go.

As with anything, it is all about BALANCE.

Now, when it comes to your children that is another story.

Some say you “never lose the baby weight”… wink, wink.

* NOTE*

If you read this and discover you ONLY have “asset” friends- you are not ONLY blessed but, YOU might just be a “liability” friend.

Xoxo,

Missy

This is the last time I will defend my character. Here is MY TRUTH.

THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL DEFEND MY CHARACTER. I am ONLY posting this as a response to so many friends and facebook family that are asking me why someone is posting such hurtful things about me and even asking what is true. Some are dragged into this situation by a person that is using bully tactics to intimidate me and for that I am sorry. THESE ARE THE FACTS-
YES SEVERAL OF MY SONGS HAVE BEEN STOLEN AND EXPLOITED. 
Because I won’t surrender, I am being threatened and slandered. This person owes me thousands of dollars and is causing me to lose my house and nearly bankrupting me because I trusted his word. His whole platform is built on lies. Yes, he has been good to me in the past. But, something changed when he decided he wanted to be a famous star before he died. He has “millions of dollars and power from the White house to the courthouse to fight me successfully”. He knows me. He knows that I do not.He thinks this will scare me. I don't scare easily. I only have FAITH and a little bit of belief left in the justice system. …and I mean A LITTLE BIT. I am open with my struggles. Not because I benefit from it in anyway. But, because it is my testimony. I have NOTHING to hide, misconstrue, avoid or lie about. I am a songwriter. I am not a politician. My SONGS are MY STORIES and some can not be re-written for sale. 
I am a sinner. I have a past. I have had times where I was selfish, manipulative and LOST. I have a long list of mistakes I have made in my life. I am not ashamed. I am SAVED from that person. My life IS an OPEN BOOK. Literally. I am NOT a thief and although I respect those in recovery greatly, I am not and never have been a drug user. I smoked marijuana when I was younger and it did not make me anything but psychotic. I can honestly say I HAVE NEVER done anything more than that. So, there you go. I have been over trusting with the WRONG people because of my lack of self worth at times. I suffer and have (until recently) recovered from PTSD and acute panic disorder. I am NOT crazy either. I have been in therapy because of my LIFE not because of any mental “disorder”. 
My biological father was killed when I was a small child. My step father adopted me and died in front of me from Leukemia a few years after that. My mother suffered a mental breakdown, so I grew up for many years in project housing in the ghetto by my grandmother who I write about frequently. I got hit by a car at 14 and nearly died. I temporarily lost my vision and spent almost a year in recovery from injuries. Shortly, there after I suffered from PTSD, before ANYONE knew what it was so, I spent the majority of the next two years in and out of mental hospitals, where I was strapped to a bed and medicated for something that now is treated simply with therapy. I watched my mother suffer through lung cancer and a brain tumor and now daily she suffers (as do those who love her) with dementia. I overcame 10 years in an abusive marriage where I was routinely taken by a plot of land and told this is where I would be buried. Have been burned and broken and left everything I owned for the sake of my children. At that time, I felt deserving of that abuse. But, REFUSED to let my children see it. I was arrested for a crime that I didn’t commit due to that abusive marriage. I had no money for a defense and continue to live with the scars of that. I have lost everything and started all over again with nothing. I have had my children kidnapped and retrieved them myself (and a really good friend) with NO help from the state of Florida because of their laws, despite the fact they were NCIC listed. It was a battle that was long and tried my faith more than anything but, the Lord used that struggle to make my children and I so close. Our bond will NEVER be broken. I actually prayed over the person that took them from me. A person I hated more than anything at one time. That is what God’s love does. I have raised my children, alone, through trial and error and with no financial assistance except for a moment where I was allowed food stamps. I went back to college driving from Memphis to Covington in a car that over heated every 15 miles. I prayed my youngest son through the roughest adolescence-chasing him and praying faithfully. Now he is a drug free successful young man that just got his second promotion. My children watch all of this and ask me how can my faith be strong. I tell them because God is merciful and NEVER has left us. My children have seen more struggle and heart ache than I can even process. They are survivors. They are my greatest strength and biggest accomplishment. So, THIS new BATTLE that I walk is painful for them but, FOR THEM I will continue.
I still, everyday, rely SOLELY on the Lord to meet the simplest of needs such as utilities and food. I STILL follow the path the Lord has directed me to teaching students to write songs. Songwriting literally saved my life. I see students overcome their struggles through this process as well. I KNOW THE LORD CALLED ME TO THIS. This road I travel is hard and let me assure you it is not paved with gold or even without large holes I often stumble into, but I travel behind the footsteps of an ALMIGHTY GOD. 
Through ALL OF THIS I shared with you- I STILL say GOD IS GOOD. My story is my testimony. Often that story isn’t in words but, in songs. I have lived a life of fighting THROUGH. I have no skeletons in my closet because my past, mistakes and all, are MY WITNESS that there is a being far greater than ME that has STRENGTH far greater than MINE. I am CONDITIONED for this battle- I WILL NOT SURRENDER WHAT IS MINE. I may lose EVERYTHING in the process but I WILL NOT GIVE UP until my Lord tells me.
So, if ANYONE has any questions as to my integrity or character I WILL GLADLY answer any one of them. I once lived in lies and secrets because of shame. But, I have been freed from that for many years now. I HAVE NOTHING to hide or misrepresent. I have NEVER been about greed because I have never had a lot of material things or money. 
If you KNOW me then you KNOW this. If you don’t PLEASE ASK ME. Don’t assume gossip is truth- about ME or ANYONE for that matter. We all have a story. Some are just different than others. There it is almost, EVERYTHING. Thank you, Lord for direction and favor. I will share my victory in this as well, when you allow it. My FAITH is BIG. My God is BIGGER. “No weapon formed against me shall prosper”. Thank you for your prayers and support.

NEVER underestimate a single MOTHER.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A SINGLE MOTHER.

Unfortunately, there have been many “men” like you who have tried to keep us from our greatness. The ones of YOU who use your power as a tactic to bully, intimidate, manipulate and weaken our spirits.

Who see us as ALONE and vulnerable and TRY to take advantage of us… for your own PERSONAL GAINS. Yes, we are ALL too familiar with men like YOU.

But, just wait.

We may get broken down, but we never BREAK.

We may tire when our shoulders get heavy.

But, for us, it is this WEIGHT TRAINING that CONDITIONS us.

Too often we are our CHILDRENS ONLY example of STRENGTH. 

WE WILL NEVER LET THEM SEE US AS YOUR VICTIM!

We are equipped for BATTLE. Single mothers RAISE WARRIORS.

We are the ULTIMATE CAPTAIN of our ARMY.

From the moment God CHOSE US to give YOU LIFE. Why US?

Because we are made with the endurance you will NEVER have.

We have special FAVOR from GOD.

He will show his wrath to those who maliciously HURT US-

just as he will show GRACE to those who RESPECT US.

“He is a HUSBAND to the HUSBANDLESS”- and….

OUR HUSBAND is MIGHTY and PROTECTIVE.

We are driven by a DIVINE LOVE that we are DETERMINED to defend.

Our FAITH is our FUEL and we have seen our prayers move MOUNTAINS.

Our history of hardships has only given us a history of

OVERCOMING the IMPOSSIBLE.

We are RESOURCEFUL. We are BRAVE in the face of adversity.

So, DON’T mistake our silence for surrender.

You may have us on the ground for a moment…

But, let me assure you- we are only resting.

 PREPARING for the moment we get back UP.

…YES. We ALWAYS get back UP. Because we HAVE to.

We are the ultimate SURVIVORS-we were MADE to be.

It is hidden under MANY LAYERS of kindness, forgiveness and compassion.

But when these are unraveled- the CORE beneath is a MIGHTY FORCE.

Never underestimate our POWER.