Steps to Maintain and Create Happiness in Your Life

Steps to Maintain and Create Happiness in Your Life

According to Wikipedia, “Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.”

There are many elements and variations to add to or subtract from one’s happiness. This article is not to persuade you that happiness will be evident in your life 100% of the time, with full awareness that every person will experience grief or sadness at some point in their life. However, this article is to assist you in maintaining or creating happiness in your life at least 95% of the time!

I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and as a student it was required that I kept abreast of current and political affairs. The medium to achieve the previous was to read and watch the local and global news. After matriculating as a collegiate student I continued to watch and read the happenings around the world. Unfortunately, the news was saturated with murder, stealing, hypocrisy, injustice and other horrific acts. This would literally make me sad, so one day I decided to stop watching and reading the news! There may be some things that you are doing that are depleting your happiness too.

Yes, you absolutely can create and maintain happiness in your life and here are some helpful tips:

1. Let the love out. It feels great to be a vessel in which love flows through and to you. When you give love freely, it comes back to you magnified! Tell someone you love them. Allow someone to love you. Be an agent of love.

2. Forgive. When you carry unforgiveness, you become an incubator for negative energy. Often the person that you’re refusing to forgive has moved on with their life. You will become stuck in a moment in time that no longer exists. When you choose to forgive, you will free yourself from reliving the negative experience. Let it go!

3. Laugh out loud! Place a huge smile on your face and let out the most ridiculous laugh you can possibly imagine. It feels great to laugh! “Laughter is better than medicine for the soul.”

4. Appreciate the moment. Oftentimes one can not be happy because they are either worried about what is to come or consumed with the past. You must learn to enjoy this very moment. You can not undo the past and deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes, but for now appreciate this moment.

5. Say no. Trying to be a people pleaser is a sure way to deplete your happiness. Do you say yes, when you really want to say no? The job will get done without you. You must place boundaries on what it is that you’re willing to do or how you choose to allocate your time. Sometimes you just need “me time”. There is happiness in saying no.

6. Spend time with your friends. Humans are naturally inclined to want to be in a social environment. We need to connect with one another. Being connected with other humans makes life worth living. Make time for friendships.

7. Count Your Blessings. I find that when one has an attitude of gratitude it raises their level of happiness. “I heard a man complained that he hated having to walk to work, then he came a cross a man who didn’t have any feet.” Thank God for your blessings.

8. Spend intimate time with God. Having a relationship with your Creator is comforting, refreshing, needed and necessary to truly have a life with happiness.

By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2010

Latrina Johnson is the owner and founder of Speaking Above Mediocrity empowerment consulting firm in Atlanta, GA. She is also an author, Mentor/Empowerment Coach, and Life Transforming Professional Speaker. She is proud to announce that she has a 100% success rate with her mentoring/coaching clients completing her mentoring/coaching program http://sammentoring.eventbrite.com

Latrina is power packed with sizzling life antidotes leaving her audiences begging for more of her informative, enjoyable, and exciting workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches. She tailor-makes each speech, guaranteeing to capture the attention and enthusiasm of your audience. Many of her group mentoring clients are from her speaking engagements http://ning.it/aJADXI. Latrina loves an audience!

I hope you enjoyed this article and remember to always speak above mediocrity.

Please donate so I can continue to impart greatness in other people lives! Thank You!

All interested in having me as your Christian Empowerment Coach you may contact me at 360-283-9046 or Skype call me @ Speakingabovemediocrity(I have international clients all around the world!)

Mediocrity Is Not Acceptable…Period!

Mediocrity is not acceptable…period!

What has occurred in your life to make you believe that average is good enough? How did you become common? Was it a teacher that spoke against your intelligence, a parent that didn’t shower you with love, a “job” that let you go, the spreading of your hips, a spouse that left you, a letter of rejection, a friend that was not a good care provider of your trust or did you of freewill decide to settle? Today that stops! You are taking your power back…now! You can not come in the presence of Latrina SAM Johnson and continue to live in mediocrity!

You were created to be great and I am determined to get that greatness out of you. The first thing we’re going to do is a mental overhaul of low-level thinking and degradation. If you are living a life of mediocrity your mind is a mental waste. I hope these words are like a tsunami crushing against your psyche causing it to shatter into a billion pieces, and now let the reconstructing begin.

You are to demonstrate excellence in all of your actions. Do not begin a business, friendship, works, or relationship without an attitude of excellence. Yes, excellence is the extreme opposite of mediocrity. To be mediocre is to be substandard in your thinking/ actions, ordinary, lazy, complacent, an outright refusal to utilize the gifts and talents that God has given to you. Many ordinary people want more out of life, but they refuse to put in the work, time, energy and resources that extraordinary people do to live an excellent life. Choosing to remain ordinary will keep you from the blessings and all that God wants you to become.

Take the necessary measures to go after excellence and mediocrity will flee. Excellence and mediocrity can not coexist.

Speaking Above Mediocrity’s mission is to eradicate any resemblances of mediocrity™

Steps to Eradicate Mediocrity

1. Eradicate all negative people- An apple tree only produces apple. Negative people only produce negativity.

2. Eradicate low-level thinking- You can only become as great as your greatest thought.

3. Eradicate pessimistic speaking- There is power in words. You will either speak life or speak death. Choose to speak life!

4. Eradicate a bad attitude- It’s true, “Your attitude will determine your altitude in life.”

5. Eradicate bad habits- Bad habits are like a hamster running for hours on a wheel; you are going nowhere.

6. Eradicate idleness – Get busy fulfilling your purpose.

7. Eradicate Any Resemblances of Mediocrity™!!!!!

By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2010

Latrina SAM Johnson is the owner and founder of Speaking Above Mediocrity Empowerment Consulting Firm in Atlanta, GA. She is also an author, Mentor/Life Coach, and Life Transforming Professional Speaker. She is proud to announce that she has a 100% success rate with her coaching clients completing her coaching protrams.
All interested in having Latrina as your Christian Empowerment Coach you may contact her at coachmeSAM@ymail.com for your FREE phone consultation

Latrina is power packed with sizzling life antidotes leaving her audiences begging for more of her informative, enjoyable, and exciting workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches. She tailor-makes each speech, guaranteeing to capture the attention and enthusiasm of your audience.

Thank You for your donation!

I hope you enjoyed this article and remember to always speak above mediocrity.

Speaking Above Mediocrity Mentoring Program

Latrina SAM Johnson is the founder and owner of Speaking Above Mediocrity. She is a Life Transforming Professional Speaker, Life Guidance Mentor and author.

To book Latrina to speak at your next event dial 360-283-9046 or to find out how Latrina can become your personal Life Coach/Mentor check out the sites below:
http://ning.it/aJADXI
http://sammentoring.eventbrite.com/

Just Do It

Latrina SAM Johnson is the founder and owner of Speaking Above Mediocrity. She is a Life Transforming Professional Speaker, Life Guidance Mentor and author.

To book Latrina to speak at your next event dial 360-283-9046
http://ning.it/aJADXI
http://sammentoring.eventbrite.com/

YES!

YES!!!

I have a yes so deep down in my spirit that every time any goodness is hinted towards me, I answer with a “yes”. It puts me in the mind of biblical days according to John 5, there was a great multitude of impotent people (lacking power or ability); blind, withered, halt waiting for the moving water.

4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease (Dis=separation/Ease=freedom from difficulty or hardship. Disease=condition that causes pain or distress.) he had.

Do you know your disease could be having a poverty mindset, the inability to make intimate connections, unforgiveness, depression and etc.? Diseases have the ability to manifest itself more than just through your physical body. Your disease may be your powerlessness to let go of a past relationship, stuck at a job, generational cycles of financial restraint, abuse, loneliness, guilt of past mistakes and many others. How long have you’ve been in your state of disease?

5One who was there had been diseased for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

Do you want your distress to go away? YES! My spirit is saying YES! Sometimes we’ve been in a certain state of disease for so long; we begin to think this is our final destination. We begin to operate and make decisions based on our past experience, but there will come a time when God will ask you, “Do you want to be healed of your infirmities?” It will seem too simple to just say yes, and instantly your change has come. God is asking the question(s) and I am yelling from the roof top “YES!” What is your answer today?

7"Sir," the diseased replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."

9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Isn’t it amazing even when we fail to answer with a yes, God still makes provision for us to rid of our disease(s). YES! Will you say yes with me? It really can be that simply. Your change has come, embrace it!

Article: YES!
By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2010

Latrina "SAM" Johnson is an International Life Transforming Professional Speaker. Contact her to book her for your next event.
http://ning.it/aJADXI
http://ning.it/buszKH

Please donate so I can continue to impart greatness in other people lives! Thank You!

All interested in having me as your Christian Empowerment Coach you may contact me at 360-283-9046 or Skype call me @ Speakingabovemediocrity(I have international clients all around the world!)

Mentoring Testimonial

Hello my name is Brandy Wright and I just want to take a few minutes to speak on Latrina Johnson and Speaking Above Mediocrity. I just want to say, I have been tremendously blessed by the mentorship Latrina offers through Speaking Above Mediocrity. I was going through a lot of hard times in my life, difficulities and a lot of trials. Latrina has been very instrumental in bringing awareness to where I was and to help me to get to where I need to be. I know there were things I was suppose to be great at and things that I wanted to achieve in my life and through her help she has been such a blessing and helped me to identify the negative things in my life and through her mentorship. I’ve been able to go forward and get my life back on track and begin to accomplish the things I want for my life. She is an awesome woman; an awesome woman of God and if you need any assistance or help I believe her services will not leave you disappointed.

For more information about Speaking Above Mediocrity Mentoring Progam go to http://ning.it/9Dvg0w

Speaking Above Mediocrity,LLC
Latrina SAM Johnson, CEO
Life Guidance Mentor, Professional Speaker and Author

Please donate so I can continue to impart greatness in other people lives! Thank You!

All interested in having me as your Christian Empowerment Coach you may contact me at 360-283-9046 or Skype call me @ Speakingabovemediocrity(I have international clients all around the world!)

Echo

Echo

In heaven we wed
On earth our soul seeks to reunite
The flames of our love transcends through the passage of time
You are my soulmate
There are many that resemble you
But none are you
My heart longeth only for you
I call out to you

Echo

I look into the eyes of him
And I know he is not you
So I pray the love that was established in heaven
Is found here on earth
My love where are you

Echo

In anguish I seek you
In love I need you
Come hither my love
Do not keep away from me

Echo

Can you hear me my love
I am calling out to you
Find me
This is my desperate plea

Echo

I love you
I loved you in heaven
I love you on earth
My Love; my love seeketh you
Let the vibration of this sound wave make it to your ears this day
May your nights be restless with dreams of me
Toss and turn ‘til you are near me
Let no other woman quench your thirst for true love
Remember the wedding in heaven
And let it be manifested here on earth
My Love do you hear me
Do you hear me love

Echo

Can you feel the passion behind these words
Inhale them as if it is the air you breathe
Hold me as you did in heaven
Love me forever
Find me quickly
My Love
Echo

Poem: Echo
By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2009

Always Speaking Above Mediocrity,

Latrina Johnson

16 Ways to Fall In Love With You All Over Again!

16 Ways to Fall In Love With You All Over Again!

I mentor so many that do not love themselves. You are the only you. There will never be a duplicate. You have to know how special and rare you are. Your world will begin to look so much different once you fall in love with you. When did you fall out of love with you? Well, now it’s time to fall back in love with you. So forgive yourself of all past mistakes and see it as a time to reflect. Life is waiting on you to live.

1. Fall in love with you! Look at yourself in the mirror and smile at how wonderful and beautiful God has designed you. You are the reflection of a stroke by a divine artist. God has made you with such intricate detail. Every freckle, dimple, curve, hue should make you fall in love with you.

2. Pamper yourself! You work hard! You should take the time to treat yourself. It’s ok to indulge every now and then. You deserve it. Go ahead and buy that shirt, take that trip, get a massage, or go to the park. Appreciate your hard work and award yourself.

3. Eliminate all negative people from your life! Negative relationships or people can be very toxic. Negative people will deplete the life out of you. They will become your stumbling blocks to happiness and dreams being realized. Let them go! NOW!

4. Stop wasting time! Value time. Time is one of the most precious commodities God has given to us and how you choose to spend that time is a direct reflection of how you view your worth. Are you being productive with your time? What are you producing?

5. Live a purpose filled life! When you live life on purpose you find fulfillment. You are passionate about your existence. How are you impacting the lives around you? How are you making a difference?

6. Say I love you! There’s freedom in releasing those words from your lips. Who do you need to tell that you love them? Maybe you need to look at the mirror and tell yourself that you love you. Perhaps it’s a spouse, sibling, friend, co-worker or even a stranger. I LOVE YOU.

7. Be nice! It takes a lot of negative energy to be mean, selfish, hateful or intolerable. You are doing more harm to yourself than the person that is receiving your negativity. Open the door for someone. Say thank you or please. Return a phone call. Just be nice.

8. Give! Give a gift and expect absolutely nothing in return. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant gift, just a kind gesture. It is better to give than to receive.

9. Acknowledge your spiritual being! Connect to your heavenly father. Cultivate your relationship with Him. Find peace in His sovereignty.

10. Count your blessings! Look around you. Take an evaluation of your life and see how God has kept you. Even if you’re not where you want to be, acknowledge how God has kept you in spite of you. Knowing you can have what you desire in due time.

11. Dream! Every tangible thing that you see is the result of someone dreaming; computers, cell phones, cars, airplanes, clothes, jewelry, television, chairs-everything was someone’s dream. Cultivate your dream. Make your dream your daily reality. You can do it.

12. Believe in you! No-one can believe in you until you do. Look in the mirror and proclaim your greatness. Write it on the mirror that you are great! I know it sounds silly, but I’ve done it.

13. Laugh! Go ahead and smile. Now belt out the hugest and longest laugh ever. Laughter is better than any antidote. Laughter is good for the soul. Enjoy life.

14. Rest! God gives us sleep for a reason. Enough said.

15. Respect yourself! Respect yourself in everything that you do and demand others to respect you as well. I must say respect generally comes to those who already exemplify that trait.

16. Be authentic! Be the best you can be. Don’t allow people to change you. Be you.

Please donate so I can continue to impart greatness in other people lives! Thank You!

All interested in having me as your Christian Empowerment Coach you may contact me at 360-283-9046 or Skype call me @ Speakingabovemediocrity(I have international clients all around the world!)

Copyright 2009© Latrina L. Johnson, CEO
Speaking Above Mediocrity -SAM, author of Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind, and Life Transforming Professional Empowerment Speaker

Never Stop Dreaming

Never Stop Dreaming

Don’t give up on the dream; the dream is for an appointed time. There is great complexity being a dreamer/visionary. The mystery of a visionary is God allowing the human to forecast and foretell future events. In the days of Noah, God instructed him to build an ark because He was going to cause a great flood. Noah began move(ments) to complete the instructions of God. People watching Noah, thought he was insane. They did not find him to be practical. (Genesis 7:1-17) As one begin to seize measures to construct their dream(s) into reality, one will encounter great and what appears to be insurmountable obstacles. The dreamer often has to stand alone because others can not take hold of the vision. However, the vision will be so imbedded in one’s spirit that it will continue to ignite movement towards one’s destiny. When God gives you a vision at some point you will tell others. Joseph had a dream and he shared it with the ones he loved and they placed him in a pit. (Genesis 37) Please, don’t be taken aback when sharing your dream(s), that some will stop liking you. When God gives you a vision, it goes against most humans’ comprehension. It doesn’t make sense to the human mind. This causes the one given the vision to step completely out on faith. In the instance of Noah, it had not rained in years and it took him many years to complete his assignment of building the ark. Yes, it takes time to manifest a dream and at times causes you to lose the ones you love.

This brings me to the recollection of Walt Disney’s vision. Disney Land and Disney world with all its colorful and magical characters started as a vision. Walt drove to a vacant land in Florida that was consumed with forest and trees as far as the eye could see. He took along a friend and shared his vision. Walt Disney was so excited and enthused about his dream. He described to his friend a land filled with games, carousels, and a huge park that family and friends would travel to enjoy. Walt wanted his friend to partner with him to make his vision a reality. His friend however thought Walt Disney was crazy. He did not want any part of Walt Disney’s “delusional fantasy”. Many have and will continue to enjoy the manifestation of Walt Disney’s dream. I’m so glad he did not give up, because his friend could not “see” his vision.

It is very important for the dreamer to understand, God has blessed you with an acute ability to “see” into the future, while most can only see in the now. Oh, but what a marvelous thing when the materialization of a dreamer comes to pass. We enjoy the fruit of their labor example: electricity, airplanes, telephones, computers, paper, eye glasses and the list goes on and on. But at some point the person behind each of those dreams had nay-sayers and unbelievers.

When the dreamer comes under attack it is indeed the dream that the enemy seeks to assassinate. The dreamer has the ability to affect a multitude of people and if the enemy can eliminate the dreamer then he has accomplished his goal to keep a people from greatness. The enemy will attack three main areas of a dreamer’s life to distract him/her from the course at hand: health, finances, and relationships. The enemy is strategic in his attack. He knows that the human is most concerned about those three areas and if he can get the dreamer to take his focus off of the dream and focus on any of those three, it will either lend way to delay or ultimate elimination. The dreamer has to fight! The dreamer has to remain focused. If you have been given a dream/vision from our Heavenly Father, then He will give you the strength and agility to survive and overcome any attack. This is not to say that the attack(s) will not come, but you will be equipped to handle them. When a dreamer fights, he/she is not only fighting for the dream, but for all those God has assigned to that dream. A dream is always to the fulfillment of others to experience.

Dreamers, dream big and in color! The vision is for an appointed time! Keep working it, ‘til it is manifested!

Excerpt: Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind
Chapter 4: Never Stop Dreaming
By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2009

Always Speak Above Mediocrity,

Latrina Johnson

Don't Waste My Time!

Don’t waste my time!

What does every human have in common? Death! The words that will follow will be very poignant and straight to the point. I’m here on earth for a limited time and don’t know the hour in which my life will expire, so don’t waste my time. I do not have moments for meaningless and pointless relationships. My life is not casual in the least aspect. Everything that I do serve a purpose from the food I eat, to the people I meet and the conversations I indulge. No time to talk about the latest gossip; who’s wearing what, the weight gain of her…PETTY! Please don’t pick up the phone to call or text me with the latest gossip. But if you want to talk; let’s talk about kingdom authority, empowering others, moving and shaking nations into the providence of God. I don’t have time to waste! Really, I am on assignment. My every second is precious to me even when sleep; I dream of productivity; producing magnitudes of possibilities for others to succeed. I can’t be bothered with foolishness.

My time comes with a price and I will determine if you’re worth it. Harsh, but true. I will not let a person of negativity, evilness, pettiness, vile conversation, mediocrity, sub-standard thinking to invade my personal inner-circle of upward mobility, success/purpose driven, kingdom connection, divine ordinance to interrupt my progress. Time tells me, I can’t afford to go backwards or become stagnated. Time works on the behalf of no one. Tick tock constantly, you’re one minute closer to death. So with every moment that I take and every breath that I breathe I’m going to be the best possible me that I can be.

You, that’s reading this, I charge you the same. Make no deals with time, because time is a deal breaker. The elderly will tell you that time have a way of escaping you. Be person of purpose at all times.

Always Speaking Above Mediocrity,

Latrina "SAM" Johnson
Article: Don’t Waste My Time!
By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2009

Being Relentless is An Essential Ingredient to Success

I can’t stop! I won’t stop! I am determined to live out the reason for my existence! I can not be broken. I will not retreat! I will stand boldly in the face of my enemy. I AM RELENTLESS!

Every word spoken, every action taken, creates your present, and carve out the path to your future.

Your illness, homelessness, joblessness, loneliness, underemployment is not the problem. Your problem is not being able to move beyond your obstacles. Instead of fighting piously for what rightly belongs to you(victory), you throw in the towel. You my dear are a quitter. And quitters never win!

When you are relentless in your efforts of achieving greater accomplishments; you have to be willing to allow others to see you fail. Many don’t like this because their ego won’t allow them to be seen as failing when in essence you are on the road to success. Every successful person encounters failure. The failure is a tool to be used to draw closer to the outcome in which one desires.

Stop making excuses for being underachieved. God has given you gifts and talents to make you succeed. Granted, your enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy every facet of your being, however you are more powerful than any force that seeks to demolish you.

Relentless and determination are first cousins. You have to determine to be relentless no matter the obstacle. The "successful" do not succeed because they are smarter, more talented, more resourceful or capable, but they do not quit when their back is against the wall. They experience great and devastating hardship, but they get back up and keep moving towards success!

God and I want to see you succeed, but you must continue to move forward in the face of your greatest challenge. You must be able to endure your trials. Be relentless.

And remember do not look to the left nor to the right of others doings, for this is a cause for great distraction. Keep your eyes on the prize!

Always Speaking Above ,Mediocrity,

Latrina "SAM" Johnson

Article: Being Relentless is An Essential Ingredient to Success
By: Latrina Johnson
Copyright © Speaking Above Mediocrity 2010