~by Carmen Jordan~
It happens to most of us at some point; when it seems the odds are against you.
For me this happened in 2008. I was laid off from work, recently divorced, had no savings, and was searching for employment. I had a desire to start a business, with no money or credit, and was still raising 2 children. Yes, that was my life, and I thought, “could this get any worse?”. In hind sight, things were bad, but at the time I didn’t really know just how bad things really were. I just knew I didn’t want to drown, so I kept my head barely above water. There were times when my head went under and I swallowed gulps of water, but I continued to pop back up, slowly spitting out the gulps of water. There were many moments when life seemed overwhelming, when I felt as if there was no way out. The dream of independence that I had been working so hard towards was impossible and no doors were opening – just a bunch of broken promises from people. The only thing I knew to do was continue being consistent and persistent.
A Few Tips of How I Conquered Life Challenges
- Be Thankful for what is currently in front of you.
- When you honor the small blessings of life, God will Bless you with bigger Blessings.
- I always look at my glass as being half full and not half empty.
- Never let anyone tell you that you need $100,000 to start a business. I started my first company, CCL Restoration, with $20.00 and a pure desire to make things happen around me.
- Surround yourself with people who have a fire to live life.
It wasn’t easy for me to start over at forty-two, which was 5 years ago. I motivated myself to think, “40 is the new 20”. Although encouraged by that mantra, my body thought different. I hobble to the bathroom because my joints are stiff. I don’t recall that happening at twenty-two. What I do know is that as long as you have breath, all things are possible. Being seasoned in life is a plus. I took all my life’s experiences, good and bad, and decided to move on in a positive direction. If I set my mind to soar high, I could only expect to fly upward. Achieving this goal requires me to set a standard so that a beautiful garden will flourish from the seeds I plant.
When the Odds are Against You —– Plant seeds for your beautiful garden to flourish
This philosophy is something I instill in my children. I just had a talk with my daughter last night about attending a party with some people that don’t share the same goals and mindset as her. I explained to her that she is a beautiful flower; the people that asked her to the party are weeds. Weeds choke flowers and taint the soil that they grow from. In life we need to overcome the weeds that have grown within us and around us. It’s not always someone else’s weeds; we can be our own tainted soil at times. I told a friend of mine not too long ago that sometimes I look in the mirror and tell myself, “You are beautiful”, “You look great”. I give myself a high-five in the mirror sometimes. My kids saw me one day and asked, “What are you doing?”. I said it’s called self-motivation. How you view yourself is how others perceive you. Are there some things that I need to improve? Sure, but I’m not going to look in the mirror and focus on that. I will purposely look at my glass half full, be grateful, surround myself with positive people that I can learn from, and always be open to listen and continue being the best me I can.
The key to success is recognizing the challenges that occur in life, and then taking those challenges and turning them into opportunities. Never let anyone plant tainted soil in your garden. Keep a positive outlook; there are seasons in life, and renewal & restoration is sometimes in order.
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Meet the Author: Carmen Jordan
Carmen Jordan
Carmen is unconditionally known as an Entrepreneur & Inspirational Speaker who celebrates Love. CCL Inspires victorious platform is centered on “Self-Love”. Inspiring young women to invest in self first, be Innovated to achieve a destined life of abundance, and Inspired so that the challenges in life are only a test that you can overcome by walking the footsteps of the 5C’s: CHARACTER, CONDUCT, CONVERSATION, COMPANY, COMMITMENT
For media inquiries and booking: media@askkimberlylifestyle.com
To learn more about Carmen:
- Email: cclinspires@gmail.com
- Instagram: ccl_inspires
- Twitter: @CarmenJordan
- LinkedIn: CCL Inspires
- YouTube: CCL Inspires
