10 Ways To Make A Way Out Of No Way

As I write this blog post, I'm thinking about the woman that I used to be. I would find every excuse in the book to put off my dreams, my desires, wants and even needs. The timing had to be just right. I had to have all the ideal pieces and would wait until the next day, which turned into the next week, the next month and then the next year. Was it really the ideal pieces and things I felt I needed that was holding me back? Why would I talk myself out of the things I told myself I wanted most, the dreams and life that I felt I so deeply wanted and desired. I would make excuses and tell myself that I needed this, that or the other to make things happen. It was all a lie. All that I needed I had from the get go. I had the desire, I had me, all I needed was the drive. Well I tell you what, I was going absolutely no where. It took some time, too much time really, for me to notice that my excuses were fueled by fear. And fear was a fuel that was getting me absolutely no where. So how did I find the fuel that would propel me forward? Faith. And it wasn't easy or overnight, trust me. It took daily pushes up a hill that I would sometime slide back down. It took quotes, affirmations, chats with trusted friends to all remind me that I am possible, that the things I wanted in my life were possible. It took reminding myself that comparison to others was a thief of my joy. It took reading the bible and praying to God. It took believing that my prayers would be heard and that the desires of my heart would be met. My faith led to more confidence in myself which led to me making fewer excuses and finding ways with my limited resources to make a way out of no way.

So here I am two years and three months later after the initial start of The Love Channel with Ty Swint  and as I type I smile so big, thinking about the progress I've made. I would use the term great to describe my progress. Here's why. Number one I refueled a relationship with God to where not only was I reading His word, but I was also believing in His word. Especially when it came to love. I thought, "Ty, how can you have this thing called the love channel yet not love yourself enough to truly believe in your purpose here on earth." This renewed faith allowed me to drown out the naysayers and people who would say nasty things for absolutely no reason at all other than to be mean spirited I suppose. This led to some house cleaning. By that I mean I had to let some people go. It was in no big boisterous way. There was nothing to get all rowdy about. I felt cleaning house was necessary for my spirit and for me to continue to do things in love, in a loving way. So it was rather a silent departure from those who always had something negative to say about my journey, my purpose. The great progress in this is that I had the confidence to let go of these people. And I also had the strength to let go of other things in my life and to truly allow God to step in. In the past "Let Go and Let God" had become something I would say, but it was not something I would truly practice. I was too fearful to completely let go.

I also feel I've made great progress because although my blog started as a hobby and also as a way to help me heal over the lost of a love one, I started to learn over the course that it could be a business and for many a lucrative business at that. I feel I've pretty much been in school the last couple of years, learning all that I can about the business of blogging while putting into practice the many things I have learned. Now, I still have a lot to learn and the old me would have waited until I felt I had learned everything. To me the good part about blogging is that you can learn as you go and since my blog is about sharing my journey as an aspiring singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, I get to learn from and share my mistakes, what I've learned as well as triumphs. 

I'm so in love with life and the opportunity to try again and again with each new day. It gives me so much joy just living my daily life as I aspire to be all that I know God has in me to be while hopefully inspiring others to not give up on their dreams and to also live their lives to the fullest. I think that's also important, finding a reason greater than yourself to do things in life. And with finding that something greater than me, I've end up finding the most amazing supporters.

So as I set out to live my best life and to push forward toward my dreams, I stopped making excuses and started to find ways to make a way out of no way. Here are 10 ways that I have helped to fuel my forward thus far:

10. I stopped making excuses and started making a way.
9. I wrote down my{blogging}goals and gave them a deadline. I'm improving on this one with my singing and songwriting goals as I am becoming more confident in this area of my journey. 
8. Prayer, meditating and spending time with God daily really helped to give me the daily boosts I needed. Just being thankful for all that was versus being disappointed in what was not kept me focused on my goals. I feel grateful for every day and every opportunity and I give thanks for my opportunities daily.
7. I'm so good at celebrating both small and big achievements. Sometimes I feel I'm moving at a snails pace, but darn it I'm moving. :)
6. Along with writing down my goals I write down what it will take to make those goals happen and and find a way within my means to make it happen. Sometimes finding ways within my means have included volunteering, bartering services, finding photographers willing to offer their services complimentary in exchange for new photos to add to their portfolios/website. I've also found hair stylist and make up artist this way.
5. Believe {if you want it, you've got to believe}Seriously, you have to believe that your dreams and desires are possible. I journal a lot and also day dream a lot. In the past those day dreams would stay right within the realms of my thoughts. I would think thoughts like, "Oh, I'm too old for that dream to become a reality." Boy have I proven myself so wrong with that old "talk myself out of a dream" way of thinking.
4. Just do it. I know this can be easier said than done, but you'll find your way at your own time. I've learned not to beat myself  up when I miss out on an opportunity due to my lack of doing something or missing a deadline. However when I find myself sliding back to the old me I pick up my journal and just pick a page and read it. It's amazing how I'm led to just the right words at just the right time. My own words give me life at times {we all have this power within us} and I find myself energized and doing that something I need to do. I'll give you this example, I almost missed out on the opportunity to attend the American Black Film Festival because of this that and the other. But I kept reminding myself how important it was for me to attend. It turned out to be one of the best experiences ever. I also almost missed out on the opportunity to interview people I hugely admire. Why? The old me started creeping back in, but I insisted with myself that I was going to take my $14.99 Walmart tripod and set up my YouTube camera and do these interviews. The old me would have been afraid of how I would look with such cheap equipment especially in comparison to others. But remember what I shared in the beginning of this article about comparison being the thief of joy. Oh honey, it can also be the thief of awesome opportunities and all that God has in store for you. Here's the one interview I almost did not do.
3. Ask for help. This has helped me a lot too. But when I ask for help I realize this does not mean having someone spell things out for me. My best results have come when I did all of my research and went to mentors and those I needed help from with a concrete plan asking specifically for what I needed from them versus going to a mentor with a blank mind, blank plan and blank sheet of paper expecting them to write my story so to speak. I had to honor their time and respectfully bring something to the table.
2. Budget time and money. This one has been the toughest for me. I love going out to local events, concerts and you name it. And I LOOOOVE to eat. And there are just so many new food places opening up, many of them now being organic, farm to table type restaurants that I just love. When it comes to budgeting time, I'm still working on that one a lot and have definitely gotten better. I have found that when I am focused and I organize my budget and time, fear is less likely to creep in and I accomplish a lot more. 
1. Be kind. It's just always a good practice to be kind and loving. One of the motto's I've chosen for The Love Channel with Ty Swint is to #ChooseLOVE. I feel the world can use a lot more kindness and love. Plus our energies are contagious. I understand life happens and things aren't always pretty, however it just feels so much better to walk in love and kindness and to be around that kind of energy. I've also found that it pays off often times with people wanting to help you, recommending you to others which can lead to paid jobs or opportunities to further grow your skills, business and more.