Seed Planting…..

2 Life Changing lessons from grannie

My grandmother never made it past the 4th grade. All my life until she died in 2009, she went around with a cane, then a walker, then finally a wheelchair. Addie Bell was my father’s mother, and we saw her once maybe twice a year. Even as a child, I realized that something was wrong, as my mother’s mom, we saw OFTEN, sometimes monthly and especially every holiday. So, with limited time, I didn’t develop a real relationship with her until I was an adult and unfortunately, only a few years before she died. On one yearly trip, I got to have a long and deep for a 11 year old child-conversation. She was trying to express to me 2 things, 2 lessons, that have stuck with me for life.

1. To always make my own money and to ALWAYS keep a little money on me

2. And to Create my own work

My grandmother didn’t know the word entrepreneur-neither did I at 11. After she died, I found out that grannie fell as a teenager and broke her hip, it was never set right and she had a limp for the remainder of her life. This limp didn’t stop her from becoming a mom of 3, learning how to sew VERY well, and keeping a little side business for most of her life. She made blankets and clothes for people. She’d ask me WAAAAYYY in advance ( like a year ahead ) what color do you want grannie to wear for your graduation because I’m going to make my suit. And she would, and it’d be sharp. The last blanket that she made me for my high school graduation, I cherish, I let no one use, and has completely caused a breakup when I found my boyfriend wrapped up in it.

CEOs, you never know where inspiration will come from, when or where seeds will be planted and how long they may linger in your life. When writing my 4th book ( currently-my hardest project ) I spent one full evening brainstorming my lessons that I wanted to include and the origination of those lessons. How could I not include grannie and her advice. In her very simple speak-she gave me some of the most useful advice of my life. She was the first to ever plant the seed in me that money could be made outside of having a job. Because of her hip she never had a job. Her 3 kids ( my dad ) would send her money, she rented the same tiny house my whole life, and her sewing business is what sustained her living in a small town in north Louisiana.

She didn’t know the word entrepreneur, but she knew that getting your income from one source that is controlled by someone else, is not the smartest thing to do. When we started to develop a deeper relationship via letters ( she couldn’t speak anymore ) in her last years, I was able to tell her that I was an entrepreneur ( made my own money as she advised ), I had bought my first house by myself, I was a real estate broker and had agents. She knew her advice had greatly impacted my life about 7 months before she was gone…..

At this point, after 22 years in business, I am very cognizant of the value of “seed planting”. I don’t take it lightly. I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be an “influencer” as I turn down products to offer my audience weekly. If I don’t know about the product personally or trust it-I say no. Every single time, I say no. I understand that sometimes, when I say something, when I make a suggestion, there is a chance that I may plant a seed in a woman's mind of what she should or shouldn’t do.

I wanted to remind you this morning, to keep your eyes, ears and heart open. There is wisdom being planted in us daily, but are we still enough to hear it and use it? Is there any moment in the day that you can sit with your thoughts and ruminate on what you learned, who you met, what you read and how it can potentially change your life?

Daily, incrementally, I get pebbles of inspiration from those around me, those women I mention, my husband, the content I’m consuming. Dr. Josephs said something to me a few weeks ago casually and literally in passing and it lit a fire under me ( she doesn’t even know ). I get inspired by my friend Ja’Net and her relentlessness in her lane ( she’s seriously passionate about that money y’all. I’m inspired by my husband, he let’s NO GRASS GROW under his damn feet. By the time he tells me about an idea and gets my opinion-that idea is halfway done! I get pebbles of inspiration and seeds planted daily and hopefully at some point in the day or the week-I can sit with those seeds and let them change my life.

I’ve also learned that if I’m not open to inspiration, nor do I make time to sit with what has been poured into me-it will dissolve, like completely go away. Days later, the fire and motivation that I had surrounding that idea is gone.

You have to make time to let life inspire you.

I’m taking Claritin right now, and one of the major side effects of Claritin for me is that I can’t sleep…...so, I’m running off 2 days of light sleep and no appetite and somehow thought of grannie and then you all.

Good Morning CEOs.