One day I was staring at someone. I'm not sure what I was looking at or looking for, but I sat there transfixed. I could not tear my eyes away. Then I heard a voice which at first I thought for sure was someone else's, but it turned out to be my own. What are you looking for?

What indeed?

For many years of my life, I wasn't completely sure of myself. I had so many conflicting desires, emotions and traits that I'd get confused as to which belonged to the REAL me. I was sweet and loving, but deadly and vengeful. I was intelligent but made dumb decisions. I wanted to be married but I wanted to be alone. The list goes on. During those times, I watched people a lot, especially other women. It wasn't until many years after I found my own identity that I realized why I would stare and get lost in other people. I was looking for something to identify with, looking for myself, or someone to model myself after.

There are many people who have not embraced themselves and have not found their own identity. When we're in a lost state, the words, opinions and sneers of others tend to get in our hearts. Because we have no foundation and no faith in ourselves, we allow their words and judgments to become our personal truths. But the truth is, you are who you are. If some things seem to conflict in your personality, in your desires and in your character, it is because we were never meant to be typed or boxed in as creations of the Most High. The reason you make no sense to yourself is because you're still trying to fit yourself into a little neat box. The day that I stopped judging myself and trying to define who I am, I became who I am supposed to be, ME. I didn't have to look for myself in people or how they responded to me. I didn't have to beg people to believe in me or believe with me. I didn't need flattery and criticism didn't touch my heart. You see, when you realize you are who you are, capable of all things, fully equipped and lacking nothing, it doesn't matter if you are a ball of contradictions. You learn to love you like you stand right NOW. That self-love opens the doors of possibilities that will allow you to become the best you possible.

No longer look for yourself in the eyes of others. That's not where the truth of you lies. It lies within you. God created you with everything you need. There is truly nothing lacking and no validation from others is needed! Indeed!

Follow me on Facebook, at Officially Lacresha Hayes and on Instagram. Be blessed in your journeys.

In recent days, I've been busier than ever. I've accomplished a lot. But in direct correlation to all the busyness, I've been emotionally all over the place. I had an emotional breakdown yesterday. Though brief, it reminded me of an important pillar of life and success.

There are times when we try to push these bodies to the limit. We starve them of nutrients, sleep and rest. But then later, we are appalled and don't understand when they begin to fall apart on us. No matter how busy you are, you have to make time for restoration and refreshing.

While at the gas station sitting in my car, I was able to center myself. There was no music. No conversation. Nothing but relative silence. And in that silence, I remembered my Source and prayed. By pouring out all that was in my heart, I found refreshing.

Here's a weird truth I've found: the busier we are, the more we should pray. When you have a day that brings many changes, challenges and blessings, you need to be dropping each happening at the feet of God. By staying in constant communication with Him, you don't get bogged down with the cares of this world. You stay in a place of empowerment and enlightenment. You stay connected to the Source and nothing that happens stays with you because as each thing comes along, you are presenting it as a freewill offering to God. Yet it seems the busier we get, the less we pray. The less time we spend listening to God. Here's how you change that:

• Before you get out of bed, spend a moment in silence. Thank God for the day and ask His guidance and will for it. Then give it a moment of sitting with Him.
• As you get each task done, take a moment to thank God for the accomplishment. Acknowledge Him as you move along to the next task.
• When you find yourself getting overwhelmed, take a bathroom break and take one full minute to close your eyes and practice breathing exercises. Remind yourself that the treasure you have is that the power is of GOD and not you yourself. Visualize your Father watching you and cheering for you. Then go back to your tasks.

No matter what is going on with you, do not think that prayer and silent time with God won't help. There is no clarity like that you get when you are connected to the Vine. Be blessed!

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Do you imagine that God has forgotten any promise He made? Do you imagine somehow your wrongs are "wronger" than those of others? And do you see that as the roadblock to God's love and faithfulness? 

God's love is not fickle. He is not one to abandon the work of His hands. Sometimes, we sit around and focus too much on the ills of the world and we blame God because we think He is failing us by not making this life easier. We fail to see His loving protection or His plan of freedom for us.

God wants you to be so free that not even He is a requirement, and He isn't. You know, God does not force us to serve Him or love Him. We are absolutely free to live any life we want. But in that freedom, we must accept the consequences of the life we choose. That is the biggest proof of God's love and it is unending. Without fail, God is going to protect your freedom. He's going to love you where you are, no matter your choices. His love won't change if you deny Him. In fact, serving Him doesn't make Him love you any better. The love He has for His children is irrevocable. Don't even imagine your choices can change that. Choices bring consequences but no choice or consequence will ever change God's love for you. 

When you are going through things, it isn't because God is angry or trying to teach you a lesson. The people who preach God's wrath are often the ones most in need of His love. It isn't wrath that created hell or the reality of separation. It was His love and because He is a Father, it's His job to make sure He protects those who embrace the Truth. So, even when we make our beds in hell, we are not unloved. No different than when you must punish or discipline your children, not out of hatred but out of love.

More encouragement coming. Join me at Your Healing Partner, Facebook and at Officially Lacresha Hayes. God bless you!

Being a woman, seems you're pulled a thousand different ways at once. You want to be all things to everyone, but what about you? Sometimes, ladies, we're like broken china. Our hearts get broken. Our spirits get broken. Conflicting emotions and desires fracture us. If you've been there lately, this retreat is for you.

3 amazing coaches, myself included, will be offering holistic group coaching. We'll share on how to rebuild your life by first transforming your thoughts and accepting yourself. We'll rebuild healthy spiritual principles and emotional strength. We'll polish you off with an amazing physical assessment, valued at over $1000 alone, that will help you get where you need to be in your health. This exclusive testing will be provided by a certified bio-energetic technician. We're seriously invested in your wholeness! The level of coaching offered is top grade! But beyond all that, you're looking at three women who LOVE working with women, who are personally invested in each of you, who have dedicated their lives to helping others.

I hope you will attend. Please visit Your Healing Partner to register. If you've been searching for change and renewal, THIS is the answer! See you there!

Life gets more complex the more hats we wear, but there is a way to simplify a busy life. It's called prioritizing. Before you tune me out, finish this article.

In the beginning, we're just children. We belong to parents, some good and some otherwise. We do what they tell us and some of what we want, suffering the consequences (big ups to punishment, the switch, extension cord and belt lol). As we age, we take on the role of student, employee, employer, mother, father, sister, brother, believer, friend, spouse and the list goes on. We become a host of different things to different people. Trying to create a balanced life in the midst can be daunting!

In my life roles, I often floundered until I discovered the true secret to prioritizing life. The secret is keeping sight of who you are and what you desire. When you are in tune with yourself, you gain the insight necessary in de-cluttering your life and mind.

In general, most people can agree that family is first, financial security often ranks second, followed closely by social acceptance. But in most lists, spirituality ranks very low, if it ranks at all. Character ranks low on the list. And as long as that is the case, life will become cloudy with each new thing that comes into view. For the spiritual, for the believer, for the person who is ready to try it differently, here is my list of priorities in order of importance, 3 only:

1. Faith- for me, the most important thing is being approved by God and finding grace for the mistakes I make in life. Thus, anything else that comes along has to line up with that or it will create problems for me in all other areas of my life. My legacy is wrapped up in my faith. Any future commitments must be wrapped up in faith. My faith plays a role in every decision I make.
2. Family- if I were married, I would have said marriage instead of family. Why? Because so often we think mom and dad are equal to spouse and that isn't the case. We feel that we must balance and take care of our WHOLE family and that isn't the case. For me, as a single person, family denotes my child first and then all others in no particular order of importance. For a married person, spouse first, children next, and then everyone else as long as they don't conflict with spouse and children.
3. Freedom- this might seem baffling, but hear me out. Freedom means being unshackled from all the chains that bind. Now, some will wonder why I didn't put this before family, but family is a commitment, as is faith. The only two things I want to be shackled to is my God and my family. After that, I desire above all things to be free of the control, opinions and oppression of others. If I am free, I can be a great witness to God's love and purpose, a great wife and mother, a great friend, and more. I can be and do what I want. And as long as my mind is free, my family is well and my faith secure, I can make all the money I want to make because every other distraction or doubt is simply an illusion.

These principles have helped me launch YOUR HEALING PARTNER, holistic coaching for women. They have empowered me to rebuild my life after divorce, sickness and all the other issues I have faced in the past two years. These principles are tried and true. 

Join me for more inspiration at Officially Lacresha Hayes or on Twitter. If you hadn't check out my books here on the site. I love getting your feedback. Have a blessed day!

Each of you visiting my website and blog these days, liking my posts, retweeting my tweets and following my pages have played a tremendous part in the recent developments of my career.

I have officially launched YOUR HEALING PARTNER, my personal wholeness coaching program for women. Talk about exciting! I've been touching base with each of the ladies via phone or Skype and sharing enrichment. They are responding with rave reviews and telling their friends. God is making room for me. Thank you for everything, every mention and every prayer. 

I hope you all will continue to support this important movement of healing. As I release more books, ebooks and hit the road speaking to various crowds, I hope to even meet some of you face-to-face one day soon. If you hadn't already, be sure to follow my tweets and follow me on Facebook for updates, tips, and inspiration. Bless you all.

If you knew how wonderful you are in someone's eyes...

If only you knew how much love there is for you on this side of creation...

If you only knew how much power is inside you...

Stop being your own worst critic. Stop abusing yourself. You wouldn't put up with that treatment from anyone else, so why do it to yourself? Why stew on all your mistakes? Why ponder over all the things you think you're missing and unable to do? Why put yourself down and give up on your own life?

Today, make it your decision to stop the abusive thoughts and words. Make it your decision to live in a positive atmosphere. Choose to encourage yourself. Choose to love on yourself. Keep believing and it will get better. Listen to your friends, family and strangers when they compliment you. Don't shrug it off. Accept it. Receive it in your heart and think on it. Whatever you think about most is what will manifest itself. Much love.

Join me at Officially Lacresha Hayes and on Twitter. I've also recently launched a new blog called Your Healing Partner. You definitely want to support that movement. I'm here to help restore you to healthy esteem and hopefully provide a starting point for your new life. If you hadn't yet, support me by ordering my books. You can get them on this site or order via Amazon. This helps me minister to the masses and keep an open line of encouragement for everyone. God bless!

Who you are and what you stand for is your choice. No one else gets to define the parameters of your life. Sometimes that can feel like a heavy burden when there is so much stimuli in the world vying for your attention. But no one else has the authority to choose for you.

In the midst of everything, you must be willing to do the hard stuff. Ask yourself who you are, what you believe and what you want out of life. Then, when you figure out some of the toughies in your own life, you can add other things without the stress.

I spent many years lost. I didn't know what to do or how to behave. I wasn't sure who I wanted to be. After I began learning about God and comparing Him to what I've always known, it wasn't hard to decide what I wanted my life to be about. I preached for over 10 years, but it wasn't as much about the platform as it was about the ability to touch and change lives. That's what I want out of my life, for my pain to have purpose. The only way that can happen is if I use it to empower other people. I want to build people, to give someone a reason to hope. I'm 37 and I'm living my dream and walking in my purpose, even when I'm wobbling. Now, you have to make that same decision to regain control and define yourself. Then free yourself to walk it all out.

For more inspiration, visit Officially Lacresha Hayes, or follow my blog. For business help, please visit Lanico Enterprise.

As writers, you've probably already discovered the industry is challenging, albeit rewarding. A writer must find content, organize it properly and then relay it to the audience via the written word. There are all sorts of technical issues and to top it all off, there is the daunting task of marketing and promotions on a budget. I know your struggles, writers, and I feel your pain. But please finish this post if you hope to have a long career.

I know you feel overwhelmed with all your responsibilities. I know you want to connect with others because writing is such a lonely job. But don't lose your mystery with all the access readers, other writers and curious people in general demand through social media and GPS tracking and location services. Everyone wants to know everything about you, but it can be hazardous to your career to give them too much too soon.

We live in a time of fads that come and go overnight, literally. There were times when fads lasted for years, but now there are so many new things beckoning our attention, we move on more quickly. I'm not sure where this break neck pace is headed, but it can't be good. As an author or writer, it's difficult not to become a victim of a fad. By no means is it a bad thing to catch on during one and ride it out, but most of us want a lifelong career and income from our pieces. Thus, we have to find a way to outlive the fleeting fancies of readers today. If they get all of you in the first book, article or interview, there will be no reason to return. That's the beauty of mystery. It keeps us coming back. Mystery will cause you to outlive fads. Mystery boosts you to iconic levels. If you plan to last, you must maintain some mystery.

For more, join me on Facebook, at Officially Lacresha Hayes and or on Twitter.