The tension was thick!

She didn't tell me but as we sat in the room with her family I KNEW my best friend was on edge, angry and disgusted! I could feel her…   

Have you ever seen one of those movies where putting on certain glasses or goggles allow the people wearing them to see the infrared of other people? I mean, they can see the truth in people, even if people were behind closed doors. 

Well, using scenes from those movies is the best example I can think of to explain to you how my prophetic gift works. It’s so exciting!

Just like in those movies, when it comes to the gift God has given me, pre-tense and best performances are wasted because the ability to see truth is present.

For example, while we were sitting in the “tension” room, my best friend's husband casually strolled in and instantly I could see the distance between she and him. I also KNEW that she was upset with him because she felt he was insensitive to her needs. She later confirmed to me that everything I saw about the state of their relationship was true.  

Further, anger, distrust, fear and anxiety that she had regarding her father came through. She was angry at him for not taking better care of her mother and didn't trust him to ever do so. And living hundreds of miles away, her parents caused her fear and anxiety.   

As I sat in the room with the family, I felt the need to lead them in prayer. So I asked if I could do so and was given permission. As I begin to speak truth in prayer, I could feel a positive shift in the atmosphere. Now, this was a great thing but the work was not complete, God wanted to say some more things to the family.   

After prayer, while a calm silence was over the room, God downloaded in me some detailed questions and statements for me to ask and say to them. And as I was speaking to my friend's seventy eight year old father, I kept thinking, "Lord, this man is going to think I am being disrespectful",  but he never said or indicated that in any way but rather began to openly share about the childhood hurts that still hurt him today. 

God allowed me to help my friend to realize that her father didn't mean any harm when he appeared to make every conversation about himself; he just had so much unresolved hurt in his heart and he desperately wanted to be heard. My friend’s mom was very grateful that this dialogue took place. The appreciation in her eyes told me so and my heart was very touched. 

​As I drove home that evening I reminisced about what had occurred and had much joy because I knew that I had obeyed God and He was pleased.

Photo courtesy of ​Heatherwilsoninternational.com 

Let me tell you a story...

It was the end of 2016 when Kimmie Robinson approached me about starting a podcast on her network.  Her exact words were, "You have an anointed ministry that must be heard."  What was amazing was I had just wrote in my journal that I wanted to start my own radio show in 2017.  We agreed that I'd start the show January 2017 but when January came, I was no where to be found.
I purposely avoided Kimmie's Facebook messages, texts and phone calls.

I knew in my heart I was supposed to do the show but I was afraid because I had never hosted a radio show before.  I kept thinking, "What if the show flops?" I didn't want to let Kimmie down.  In addition to that I really wasn't clear about how to design the show.  I knew nothing about podcasting.  I did not have a professional microphone.  I didn't have a huge following.  I didn't have money to pay guests.  I didn't have a studio.  What was I going to talk about for 30 whole minutes? I didn't want to take on another responsibility and not stay committed.  I was already running Dare to Dream solo which was and still is exhausting and I honestly didn't know if I could handle adding more to my plate.  

Nevertheless, I kept praying. I asked God for the concept, the vision and the name of the show.  And God delivered.  So in March 2017 I launched the "From Powerless to Powerful" show and winged it. My vision for the show was to use everyday people to empower & encourage other every day people with testimonials of overcoming.  My soul's calling is to teach so I knew I wanted to through in a few teaching series.  

Now here I am a whole year later with an hour long show!  The show is growing, my following is growing, and my guest list is taller.  I am proud that I didn't allow all of my excuses stop me from starting.

Are excuses keeping you from being, doing and having what you want?  A couple weeks ago, guests Sharonda McMullen (IAmTheSharonda) and Aundra Alecia (Aundra Alecia Skincare) joined me on the show for a powerful (no pun intended) conversation about letting go of excuses.  Sharonda even wrote a book about it titled, "No More Excuses" where she teach readers how to differentiate between sound reasoning and plain ole excuses.

I could have allowed excuses stop me from starting my show but I didn't.  You too can break free from the grip of excuses and create a feel good life.  No matter how true or real your excuses sound & feel, you do not have to let them stop you from customizing your life into one you look forward to waking up to every day!  Listen to the show here.

I'd love to support you with letting go of the excuses that keep your from progressing in life. 
​Book a complementary "From Powerless to Powerful" session today to get the support you need to change your life & experience results that make you feel progressive and proud of yourself.

Until next time,
Make it a GREAT day on purpose

Cynthia

PS.  Let's stay connected!  Join my list at www.cynthiasnewell.com to get nuggets of inspiration by email and  a free copy of my e-book, "Creating Your Life" which helps you to create clear intentions so you can create a life you look forward to waking up to!

Photo courtesy of za.fotolia.com

For many years I struggled with admitting my truth because of thoughts like “Who do you think you are to believe that you can make a living going to work for yourself as yourself.”  My deeply ingrained beliefs produced fears and these fears crippled me. It was hard to be successful. Instead of working through these fears,  I hid. 

I hid my dreams and desires deep within.  From a distance no one could tell I was hiding but I knew.  I hid in motherhood by making my children my whole world.  I hid in my marriage by choosing to focus on the unhappy parts. I created drama myself by choosing to be silent about things I should have spoken up about. This opened the door for me to hide in being a victim and dancing with thoughts that made me feel as though my life was horrible and showed no signs of getting better anytime soon. 

The truth of the matter was spending all of the seconds, minutes and hours doing what made me happy was my dream.  It was hard to admit this because it made me feel selfish and it seemed
far-fetched even though I knew people who were doing it. My dream life did not include working a
full-time job yet it entailed me making a living using my gifts, talents, skills and knowledge. What I know for sure is that I am a gifted people developer that spiritually support others on their journey of healing.  In my heart, I know I am a coach and teacher and that I was created to help others heal.  

I was afraid to openly admit this though.  Afraid of ridicule, judgment and abandonment. I was afraid to own and take responsibility for my desired results for fear of failing and looking silly being who I was created.  But hiding made me feel half alive, disconnected and aloof.   One day I decided it was time to stop hiding, sound the alarm and speak my truth.

Soon aligning my reality to my soul’s calling became more important than other people's opinions.  After a while, doing God’s work overshadowed my fear of failing. Once I accepted that I was being unkind and unloving to myself, I made the decision to stop hiding and speaking my truth. This made me feel alive again!   

Most of us fear owning our dreams because we focus too much on things that are out of our control, things like "how" and what other people will say.  Some of us hid from our truths for fear of abandonment and fear of not getting what we want.  Regardless to the reason why you're hiding, how you’re hiding or what you’re hiding from, I am a firm believer that  self-love can help you overcome this cycle of defeat.

Recently on my podcast, From Powerless to Powerful, Linda Mitchell of Amazing Self LLC joined for an intimate and empowering conversation "No More Hiding: The Ultimate Self-Love is Speaking Your Truth".  She shares a practical formula on how to stop hiding & develop a self-love routine that will teach you how to truly enjoy being who you are. Listen in and be inspired to give your inner child permission to  sound the alarm, live authentically, and have fun again!!

Listen here.

Until next time,
Make it a great day!

Cynthia Newell

PS.  Let's stay connected!  Join my list at www.cynthiasnewell.com to get weekly nuggets of inspiration by email and  a free copy of my e-book, "Creating Your Life" which helps you to create clear intentions so you can create a life you look forward to waking up to!

Photo courtesy of http://stephaniearnold.net

Last year Aretha Franklin's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" was a constant reminder that God love was comforting and always available. There were so many instances when evening fell and I did not know what to do.  There were many occasions when I needed God to be my strength and still the storm brewing in my heart.  I needed God to carry my portion when unexpected situations arose like filing bankruptcy without an attorney, the sudden onset of illness with a close family member and having to make decisions I never had to make. 

         "Whatever makes you uncomfortable is your biggest opportunity for growth." Bryant McGill

If I had to sum up 2017 to an expression it would most definitely be emotional roller coaster.  My prophetic gift was developed and tested in some unfamiliar ways and endurance  was strengthened through the sudden death of my close friend Darlene. Also, I faced one of the most challenging feats of motherhood when I had to make my two daughters eave our home because of disrespectful behavior toward my husband, their step-father.  I salute women who are a part of blended families; I know how it feels to to be torn between your children and spouse. It takes emotional and spiritual maturity to survive these kinds of situations. This experience inspired my new coaching program, "Abigail's Grace" - designed to support wives with children and wives in blended families - the program will strengthen, stablish and settle your faith. Instead of feeling like death or divorce are your best options women learn how to confidently live fully and peacefully through their experience.

            "You will either step forward in growth or will step backward in safety." Abraham Maslow

I chose to move forward.  When 2018 arrived, I made a decision to focus on things that brought me joy and made me feel connected, free, loved and complete.  In order to accomplish my goals, I knew I had to be intentional, it's no wonder that God gave me the word "intention" for 2018. God even gave meanings for each letter of the word, it means:

Photo courtesy of ​http://justicefergie.com

“Why now God, why is this showing up now?”  Sitting quietly the answer came in the most subtle voice, “Now is the time to clear this up so you’d never have to be negatively impacted by it again.” I knew it was best but emotionally I was not ready to deal with it, it being the revelation that I am scared to fully be me because I learned that being me was not safe. 
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After thinking for a while I began to see the connection between this thought and how it showed up in my life and business.   Here I was building a sustainable business, Dare to Dream a business God birthed through me over seven years ago. It would be a business that would allow me create affluence and wealth using my gifts, talents and skills to teach others how to overcome emotional pain and create a life they look forward to waking up to.  Though I am a big dreamer, a visionary and gifted spiritual life coach and dream interpreter, my business has yet to experience the level of success I had envisioned all because of me.  I did not feel free enough to give myself permission to soar; when the fear of being me gets the best of me I forget who I am and the value I add to the world.  I become stuck and stationery. Now to others it may appear as though I am confidently moving forward but in actuality what happens is I  go back to the drawing board to re-define who I am, what I do and who I help because somewhere in my brain I can’t find this information.

This was highly frustrating because I couldn’t understand how I’d go from being sure, confident and driven to feeling etchy, unclear and unsure; these experiences were not only mentally draining but was emotionally exhausting.  Imagine finding and accepting your true self, boldly sharing this self with the world to plummeting to a place of feeling unworthy and afraid.  Afraid that when things start going good that somehow they’ll crash just like all the other times in your life.  Afraid that the people who say they have your back will stand there and watch you get beat up instead of jumping in to help you fight.  Even afraid that you don’t have what it takes to maintain what you’ve built. 
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All these thoughts and feeling derived from the belief that it was not safe to be me.    This one belief challenged me and caused me question my call, my abilities, my commitment. I started to poorly position myself without even realizing it.  I started to feel as though I needed to take a back seat, go and be healed before I could move forward.  However the Holy Spirit says my healing is embedded in each bold action step I take toward the vision that was revealed to me.  

We never know the internal struggles of others.  We don’t always understand the why behind many of our actions.  It is imperative that we spend time in silence, meditation and prayer so we can hear the voice of God and be clear on what to do.  If you feel stuck in your life or unsure about who you are and what you were created to do, I’d love to support you. I invite you to book a “From Powerless to Powerful spiritual consultation.  It is 75 minutes of spiritual guidance, mindset mending, clarity, clearing and connecting to the answers your soul wants you to know.  Book today! 

Until next time, MAKE it a great day!
​Cynthia 

​Many of you know, a little over a month ago I lost my sister friend Darlene to cancer.  You may remember Darlene, she was featured on my blog titled, "Just Because it Looks Impossible Doesn't Mean It Is".  Her death was unexpected and hard to believe.  A few days prior, I could sense something was not right so I reached out to her.  She said everything was not fine and asked me to pray.  Though I wanted to pray with her over the phone, she didn’t feel much like talking so I prayed because she said that was the best thing I could do for her.  I could have become offended by her lack of wanting to connect but I chose not to.  I figured we’d chat soon like we always did.  Over the years we had learned to give each other space when going through change or challenges.  We agreed not to take personal our need for personal space.  So I played by the rules of our friendship and gave my friend space to work through what she was going through.

​It is often through our friendships we are encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.  Our friends offer us words of healing, thoughtful deeds and sincere prayers.  When you find a special friend, one you share common interests and have similar personality traits, you’ve found a jewel.  Darlene was my jewel because she didn’t require me to be anyone other than who I was but she challenged me to show up greater, we challenged each other to walk as giants.  Even in our differences, we respected and honored one another- that’s what a good friendship is about, respect & honor, love & forgiveness, fun & laughter.

When I’m feeling doubtful, I can still hear her voice in my head saying, “You got this sis”.  When I wanted to lie down because of grief and say to hell with my business and personal goals, I could feel her energy and hear her voice say, “Get up sis, you’ve got work to do.”  She was and is a source of motivation that I cherish with all my heart.   Sometimes with tears in my eyes, I look to the sky and thank God for allowing us to have shared such a special friendship for nearly twenty years.  And instead of allowing grief to paralyze me, I use it to propel me forward.  The memory of our friendship and the candor in our conversations, fuel my passion and drive.  When the weight of sadness presses down on my chest in an attempt to stifle my vision, I make the choice to change positions. 
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We always have the gift of choice.  When life does not go the way you had hoped it would, do you throw in the towel or do you get still, reassess and hit reset?  What fuels your drive?  The friendship I shared with Darlene inspired the topic of my next podcast, “Remembering Darlene” where I get the honor of commemorating her, share valuable insight on friendship and offer beneficial tips on coping with grief.  It also inspired my 1st Annual Sisterhood EmPOWERment Walk (which will be a yearly event) and encouraged this blog post.  

I could choose to be depressed about the loss of my friend or I can choose to celebrate her life and our friendship, I chose the latter.  When I start to cry about her no longer physically being here, most of the time I end of laughing, remembering the silliness we shared.  I chose tears of gratitude. I chose to rejoice and be thankful that our paths met. 

As I continue my course, I choose to make choices that bring me healing, joy, laughter, reasons to smile and tears of gratitude, what about you?
​
Until next time, MAKE it a great day on purpose,
Cynthia 

My prayer closet felt like a confession booth, it kind of resembled one too.  I guess that’s why it didn’t feel strange that I started confessing to Spirit all the things that were on my heart.  Things that made life seem bleak, barren and desolate.  I knew that in order for me to get to the other side of what was troubling me I had to be open and honest. So one by one I candidly talked to Spirit about each of them - running a successful business, financial flexibility & security, feeling disconnected from loved ones, being concerned that time was running out and so much more.  God spoke back, addressing each and every one of my concerns.  The key to hearing from Spirit is you have to be willing to listen.
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All of the issues and concerns that I confessed to God were things I felt hopeless about, things that in my heart, I had secretly thrown in the towel; things that I had kind of given up on having, being and doing but pretended that I was okay about it.  Deep in my heart I knew that having a success & thriving coaching practice was one of my greatest desires as well as enjoying a loving & supportive marriage and being able to celebrate the joys of life with my family.  All three had been my longing since I was a little girl, that’s probably why many times I would open my home for family gatherings and take the lead on activities that promoted closeness and unity. Though my attempts had not produced immediate or even lasting change, a part of me still believed it was possible but even that part of me was starting to cave.  So I secretly covered these desires up and tried to move on with life.

What prayers feel suspended in the air to you? Have you been praying for your marriage, children, finances or health but haven’t seen any positive changes?  Do you keep going to interview after interview only to find yourself still without a job or being offered jobs that aren’t in alignment with what you truly want?  You say you’re okay but deep down you are crushed, you feel like you’re walking down an escalator that is going upward. 
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I get it and know how frustrating it can be to believe in something with all your heart, put your belief into action yet not get the results you were hoping for.  Would you be willing to look one more time?  What if I told you that God wants to do something miraculous for you but you’d have to be willing to remove the protective covering and open your heart one more time?  This can be frightening.  It can be scary to subject yourself to the possibility of disappointment, I get that.  But what if things were different this time?  

If you truly want to see your life turnaround I encourage you to purchase tickets to my upcoming
“Life Makeover Vision Board Party: Booming, Blossoming and Birthing a Better Life.”
​Tickets are on sale now.  Because space is limited I encourage you to get yours today.  

Think for a moment and identify the area(s) you feel most hopeless about.  What do you feel hopeless about?  Does your baby mama keep you from your kids and you don’t have the means to get a lawyer to fight for your rights?  This workshop is for you.  Do you desire a romantic relationship but keep attracting the wrong kinds of people?  This workshop is for you. Are you headed for divorce court but you’d rather work things out?  This workshop is for you.  You’re trying to move forward in life but your past keeps trying to hold you back.  This workshop is for you.

Make over your life with my upcoming “Life Makeover Vision Board Party: Booming, Blossoming and Birthing a Better Life.” ​Tickets are on sale now.  Space is limited.   

Until next time, MAKE it a great day!
​Cynthia 

No one wants to see themselves as a liar but we all tell lies. We lie to ourselves daily, hard to believe but it’s true.  We paint pictures in our minds about our lives and the people in them that are simply fictitious.  Then we create scenarios to support these lies.  A lot of us don’t even know we are doing this, we’ve done it for so long that it has become our way of being, it has become our natural response.
 
I had had enough.  My family had pushed me to the limit. Why did they feel that I was supposed to keep the entire house clean by myself, cook homemade meals every other day, be energetic and bubbly, hold everything together and be happy about it.  After having the same stale conversation with my daughter about cleaning up behind herself, irritated and bothered, I headed straight to my walk-in closet to vent.  With angry tears welling up in my eyes and steam coming from ears, I started pacing the floor and mumbling how my family does not care about what’s important to me. Not only had I convinced myself that no one in my household understood all of the work I do as an entrepreneur, I also believed they didn’t care about my success.  I made up lies about how my family would fall to pieces if something were to happen to me and accepted it as my duty to handle all the responsibilities.  These lies were making my life very unpleasant; there were times when I felt helpless and in some sort of way that I was being wronged.

Whatever we believe within, truth or lies, know something outside of us that will validate it.  Our outer world is a mere reflection of what’s happening within.  The real truth was that in any moment I could change how things were playing out in my home life.  The real truth was that these thoughts were only true if I believed them. 

What lies are you choosing to believe about your situation or the people in your life?  Our beliefs dictate how we treat others and affect how we interpret how they’re treating us.  If you believe your boss has it out for you, your actions will most likely be defensive. If you believe your spouse is a cheater and a liar then you will most likely deal with them suspiciously.  If you believe you are unworthy of unconditional love and respect will probably get involved with people that do not exhibit this kind of behavior.

Stop lying to yourself by telling yourself you can’t have the life you’ve always imagined living.  Stop lying to yourself by telling yourself you can’t change your self-image by believing that you will always be fat or that change is impossible.  Stop lying to yourself by telling yourself you are unlovable because of the mistakes you’ve made in your past.  Stop lying to yourself by believing that everyone in the world is against you and that you are all alone.  Remember, your outer world is a mere reflection of what’s happening within you. 

Until next time, make it a great day,
Cynthia 
  

A soul stirring cry, a piercing wail that made me think someone was hurting my child. Samantha screamed as if she was afraid for her life. The thing was I had only stepped over to the sink to get a glass of water, she could still see me. It frustrated me that she demanded my attention, ALL of it and whenever I was not fully engaged with her, she’d become angry, that “slap your phone out of your hand while in the middle of reading a text” kind of angry.   

Even at a much younger age, when she’d be asleep, if I started watching television, reading a book or become fully engrossed into something, the child would wake from her sleep and start to cry.  Sometimes, I would cry right alongside her because I couldn’t understand why she acted this way and it annoyed me. I started to feel as though she was selfish, very selfish and very territorial. 

Before Samantha, I had settled in my heart that I was not having any more children, so when I found out I was pregnant with her I was vexed.  Quite honestly, I did not want to share my time, focus or energy with anyone else, especially not a baby. You may wonder how I could feel this way, well it is important to know, prior to Samantha I had experienced two miscarriages, because of this, my confidence in my ability to carry her full-term was extremely low.  In addition, about a year prior, my 16 year old daughter gave birth to my grandson, whom I became completely responsible for.  On top of that, Samantha’s father and I were separated at the time and though I could raise her well on my own, I didn’t want to. But the biggest hamper was I had envisioned devoting my time, energy and focus to growing my business & ministry and writing more books; having a baby would make it harder for me to do these things successfully, at least that’s what I believed.

One afternoon after enjoying breakfast, I took Samantha to song & story time at the library, when we arrived back home we played together for about an hour then I put her down for a nap. Immediately upon opening my laptop Samantha woke up screaming and crying! I knew that there wasn’t anything physically wrong with her.  Irritated, I picked her up and sat her on my lap.  I asked God to help me understand what was going on with her because I agonizingly felt that my child wanted all of me and the thought of that saddened me, I really needed God to show me the truth about what was happening.

God said, “Samantha is not selfish but she feels insecure about your love for her.”  I looked my baby girl in her big beautiful brown eyes and told her the truth.  With tears in my eyes, I told her, “Mommy was displeased when she found out she was pregnant with you.   Mommy didn’t want to get pregnant again because she was afraid she might lose you like the other two and her heart couldn’t take that again.  Mommy loves you very much and is very happy you are here now that you are here. Can you forgive your mommy for making you feel unwanted?” 
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After reassuring her that my love for her was solid; I asked if she’d be willing to share me with my dreams and after giving her what seemed like tons of kisses, I encouraged her heart to know she had nothing to fear, that I would never abandon her and that God is always with her.  From that day on my child has not been the same and our relationship has evolved into one of love, respect and security.   I can now walk out of the room without her blowing up; she’ll even sit quietly on my lap as I read whereas at first she’d try to knock the book out of my hand.  Hard to believe this was the behavior of a pre-toddler... lol.

Sometimes we want to skip around the truth because we think it may hurt someone’s feelings or we are unsure how to operate in truth, the beautiful thing is, God will teach you any and everything that you desire to know or grow in.   A lot of relationships are broken, battered and bruised either because no one wants to speak the truth or the truth is not able to be fully received because of immaturity.  The truth makes us free indeed; it removes the potential of untruth to prevail and replaces assumptions.  Sometimes speaking the truth isn’t easy but it is necessary.  Ask God for wisdom in this area if it is one you struggle in. 
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Until next time, make it a GREAT day on purpose,
Cynthia 

Life wasn’t making much sense. After telling the banker to close the business account, an account I had for a little over a year, an account that had become special because it represented progress and hope, I began feeling as though I was losing and going backwards.  No matter how much I wanted to keep it open, closing it just made good business sense. I was being charged a monthly surcharge of $15 for not maintaining a $500 minimum balance.   Sitting there waiting on the bank teller to come back gave me time to see the connection, to see that I was in a season of necessary endings.
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I began reflecting on the past few months and could easily see a consistent theme of endings, conclusions, closure and terminations this included friendships, finances, spiritual and emotional. It entailed letting go of the no longer desirable to make way for the new and now worthwhile, this caused some rather unexpected emotions to rise such as rejection. 

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc. 3:1

Seasons changing are inevitable; they are simply a part of life.  Though initially an emotional response can forth a gentle tap on the shoulder by the Holy Spirit helped me to see the gift in this season of transformation.  Yes doors we’re closing and people I thought would go the distance with me exited, but it was in these very experiences that emotional, mental and spiritual healing was taking place, fear was being uprooted and outdated paradigms and thought systems were being dismantled. 
When doors close we rarely look at it from the perspective that we learned what we needed to learn from the experience and it is time to move on.  We typically  gravitate to the thought pattern that something must have been wrong with us or that we are have displeased God in some way and are now being punished.  I’ve learned firsthandedly that when we are in a seasonal change of release it is because we need to complete unfinished business and tie up loose ends so we can be free of the pressure from unresolved matters. 
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During seasonal changes life welcomes us to pack up the old, to tuck it in a safe place, not get rid of it completely because despite what most believe, there is value in our past.  We must dress appropriately and make sure we have what we need that’s why it is important to thoroughly assess our experiences and to have a point of reference; the scriptures make a great point of reference.  In most cases, spiritual solidarity and deep understanding of where you are helps you to navigate the experience the best way possible.   It is important to accept the past exactly as it was by feeling everything about it that you were initially unable to feel.  If you are in a season of necessary endings, intentionally embrace each and every conclusion and trust that all of it is for your best and highest good. 

This practice will help you to have hope in the positive improvements that are surmounting as a result of your experiences and to maintain a spiritual stillness deep down inside despite the emotional storms that may be occurring on the surface.
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Until next time, MAKE it a great day!
Cynthia