Cell Block Legendz realizes that just about everyone can use a mental boost, push, some encouragement, and support when dealing with life in general. We are kicking off our Inspiration platform with some small figurative gifts of inspiration for you! Enjoy and be inspired!

The Importance Of Prayer Doesn’t Make You A Square

The world is experiencing a pandemic and we’re living in trying times. Some folks may feel like they’re on the verge of losing their minds due to uncertainty, fear, and panic. Millennials and others may feel invincible or carefree depending on their social circle. Some folks are taking preventive and precautionary measures and stocking up on resources to help them cope. Then, there are folks who decide to invoke the power of prayer. It seems that the world needs faith, works, and prayer now more than ever.

Some people pray multiple times throughout the day. A larger percentage of this is done without even knowing it. Do you agree? To an extent, you should. Prayer doesn't necessarily require kneeling, lifting hands, or keeping the eyes closed. People unconsciously pray but don't realize it. These prayers could be in the form of requests:

God please let me pass this test.

God please help me find a job.

God help me to keep these bills up.

God please help us survive this reported coronavirus pandemic.

Prayers Can Also Come In The Form Of Thanks And Praises:

Thank you God for me and my kids having a roof over our head, food on our table, clothes on our back, and shoes on our feet!

Thank God I got the job!

Thank God the bill collector gave me an extension to pay my bill!

God, I thank you for my life, health, and strength!

Thank God for blessing us!

Out of the many people that pray consciously or unconsciously to God or their higher power, there's a notable percentage holding the notion that to pray in faith or reference to the Bible makes you look uncool or boring. Some people may feel like they have a tough reputation to uphold or have family, friends, or loved ones who do not believe in prayer and will be negatively judged.

I feel that it is farfetched to believe that one can’t exercise their belief in prayer and still maintain their cool aura or popular reputation. Keep reading to find out why. Obviously, if you do not believe in God, the Holy Bible, or prayer, then you may not wholly agree with this article.

Below is the importance of prayer and the benefits of prayer, which voids the notion that prayer makes you a square or (too) religious: 

A Prayer is a Form of Connection To God - We connect with God on various spiritual levels when we pray. This can apply whether we attend church or not or are religious or spiritual or not. We trust that there is someone or something Divinely greater than ourselves who we can spiritually connect with. A connection with God through prayer is like when two people communicate with each other. They exchange ideas and views that can make them closer. So, for every single time you pray, there's a connection with God. The best part is this connection is not stagnant. It grows deeper the more you pray and connect with God and can create a bond.

Prayer Allows God to Step In - You bring God into the picture every time you pray. The logic behind this is just like most relationships with people. If you don't let people know you need their assistance, they can't magically come to your aid. This applies to your relationship with God. Prayer lets God take action on your behalf.

For many people, it does not matter if they do not hear God’s physical voice as a response to prayer because they believe or have faith that God is able to deliver results in due time or on His time. They may believe that if they do not get what they pray for, then it may be because what they prayed for may be God’s way of protecting them from what they don’t need at the time and if they never receive it, then they become at peace with that because they choose to fully trust and not question God.

Prayer Changes The Atmosphere Around Your Situation - Prayer empowers people to take charge of situations. It becomes the best option when people find themselves in complex situations that they cannot control. Prayer can help one to find solace, although it doesn't magically solve problems. Finding solace is just as important as solving a problem. You can easily get worked up in stressful and difficult situations, which can only make matters worse without prayer and solace. People who get peace through prayer can mentally place themselves in a better position to seek solutions in chaotic situations.

Prayer Helps You Zone Out And Feel Refreshed - Prayer helps to take the pressure away whenever you feel like the world is becoming too toxic and tense. How does this work? Prayer itself is an acknowledgment of a higher power greater than one's self. So when you pray, you exercise faith in that higher power. The presence of faith in the higher power is what puts you in a calm and renewed state and pushes all the tension and toxicity aside to open yourself up to Divine intervention.

Prayer Helps Take Away Anxiety And Negative Thoughts - The tendency to think negatively when in trouble could be very high. You start having anxiety, which makes things even more complicated. But the moment you pray about your situation, positive thoughts and possible solutions start presenting themselves and negative thoughts are replaced with positivity and solutions. Here's something you should try. The next time you find yourself worrying unnecessarily, pray about the condition you're in and watch yourself feel relieved.  

Prayer Paves The Way For Grace- In short terms, grace is a categorically undeserved favor. It is when things run smoothly even without being worthy. When you pray to God, grace can swoop in to take over difficulties and turn them around for your benefit. This is one of the amazing benefits of prayer.

A Prayer Is A Form Of Gratitude- Saying a prayer when things are running smoothly is a way of saying thanks and being appreciative. If you study the holy scriptures, you'd learn that gratitude and thanksgiving unlock greater blessings. Continuous favor without appreciation makes you look ungrateful.

Prayer Gives You Access To Divine Intervention- Oftentimes, you may have heard people tell you that after they prayed that a voice or something inside them gave them a special message. All these can be categorized as divine intervention. For instance, when you need divine assistance, you must pray. That prayer is made to God. How do you get a response? It could come in the form of a voice from within you, an external force that could be a person or mere indication, or circumstances playing out in a fascinating or unbelievable manner that goes against popular influence.

Prayer Helps Your Faith Grow- When you constantly pray to God for direction and grace, this is evidence of belief in the higher power. The more you pray, the more you exercise your faith in God. This faith gets stronger as you continually pray. This prayer could be biblical prayer or any written word of prayer. Regardless of what seems like long-suffering, prayer can change things and cause one to see things differently. Even in doubt, God’s grace can manifest itself through answered prayers and help your faith grow.

Prayer Shapes Your Perspective On Life - When you constantly get Divine direction through prayer, you can develop a better understanding of life. You also tend to respond better to difficult and challenging issues. Prayer can guide your reactions to various situations and helps you have a better relationship with God and people. 

Prayer Can Unlock Access To Good Health- The Bible states that good health is one of God's gifts that's already available. Prayer and works are some things required from you to access this gift of good health. There are various scenarios where people suddenly experience divine healing. This is one benefit of prayer that should not be treated with levity because it makes you see that prayer is not just a combination of words. It’s divine freedom to pray about health and other issues.

3 John 1:2 (KJV): Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Exodus 23:25 (KJV): And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

Proverbs 3:7-8 (KJV): Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Conclusion

The established points above should give you an in-depth understanding of the significance and benefits of prayer. To utilize the benefits of prayers, all you need to do is believe within you that prayer can turn situations around.

The moment you acknowledge that fact, you've kick-started your connection with the higher power that oversees everything including any belief that believing in prayer makes you a square. It would be beneficial to note that your life situation doesn't affect your relationship with the higher power. You can easily begin the process immediately. It starts within you.

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Physical Façade or Flawlessly Fulfilled Inside?

It is hard to exude self-confidence when you don’t feel it or feel good about yourself; after all, you are who and what you think you are. Let’s be real. Just about every one of us has some physical insecurities. We may wish that this or that was physically bigger or smaller, firmer, or more toned. Others judge us by how we look. We may even physically compare ourselves to others and feel inferior or superior, yet never good enough. Boom!

If you ask the average man and woman on the street or close to you what they want out of life, most of them may tell you happiness, peace of mind, and to be healthy; and some may say to become rich or financially comfortable. Yet, many of us have heard the saying that money can’t buy happiness and we have witnessed some people self-destruct when they’ve had too much or not enough of anything along with other various reasons.

If you ask people what happiness entails, you will probably hear statements involving physical, materialistic, or superficial things like weight loss; undergoing surgery by getting a tummy tuck for a flatter tummy, rounded butt, flawless skin through chemical skincare regimens, and the list is endless. While these are great if your self-esteem is whack, happiness shouldn’t be superficial. 

As innocent as these realities are, the pursuit of happiness in society seems to be excessively tied more to how you look rather than who you positively or internally are or aspire to grow to become. Some people intuitively realize this, yet this can be an ongoing battle when it seems like your character and worth are based on if you look like a hot and drop-dead gorgeous Instagram or magazine model.

Before and After Tummy Tuck Procedure On A Young Woman

The belief that appearance equals contentment and is the solution of all your life’s problems is a misguided theory and terrible fact at worst. Yes, that a tummy tuck may look fabulous; you finally get to rock that bikini with your friends at the beach.

Having a butt lift is excellent, your backside looks like Kim Kardashian, but answer this, have these changes completed the puzzle and made you truthfully self-fulfilled and whole again, internally, emotionally, and mentally? Have they made you physically healthier? Did they remove any character flaws you may have or improve your personal growth? Dig for the deeper reason or reasons for your choices. You may discover things about yourself you never knew. 

Face Your Feelings

More often than usual, quick fixes are what they are – short-lived. Some people want something or a problem to take over their reality, and they feel the need to address it immediately.  They want a figurative “fast-food” body without the wait and without high calories. They do not want to deal with the long wait time or put in the physical work in the gym or feel bogged down by sticking to months of strict dietary changes. They want what works here and now.

Well, that is fantastic. However, if your need for a butt lift, liposuction, cosmetic surgery, body enhancements, and breast implants don’t align with your feel-good spirit, it is short-lived. Let me explain.

In life, your motivation to do anything can be because it makes you feel good, or it is the right thing to do. But, these two reasons must align somehow to make you reap a better and lasting feeling from the decisions you make, which is most times spontaneous.

So, for women, if looking at top models in magazines or seeing your women friends with what looks like big and perfect breasts makes you feel inadequate at the way your boobs look, get breast implants. If your butt looks off, then butt lifts to the rescue. I am not encouraging or discouraging you either way. The same applies for men regarding body enhancements.

Examine how you see things and your reasons for your decisions. If you feel it is right, then why doesn't the feeling endure the test of public scrutiny and criticism? Acting on how you feel is an easy trap where most people can fall victim. This is because it allows you to cover up what you see as your physical cracks and blemishes, your displeasure, and is a physical facade. These feelings may bring a temporary sense of relief and satisfaction but can leave you wanting more or regretting the former.

Natural And All Glammed Up and Looking Good

Anyway, it is great to look good, no doubt, but when you do the right thing for the right reasons, the feeling lasts longer. Furthermore, you feel proud when remembering how that one incident changed your life and situation for the better.

Overall, when you do what is right and has a greater purpose beyond the materialistic or superficial, you not only feel fulfilled, you build your self-esteem, self-confidence, and your life becomes meaningful.

You Are Beautiful or Handsome Just the Way You Are When You Genuinely And Consistently Do Your Best To Radiate Your Inner Glow, Glam, And Energy

A hard and bitter pill to swallow, especially with the societal portrayal and definition of beauty, beauty is also your inner self and what you consistently exude. If you have a negative and nasty attitude, no makeup or body enhancements will hide that flaw.

Every one of you is beautiful. You only feel left out and not perfect when you have shifted from your center. When you move from who you are into other people’s realities and superficial expectations, you can become plagued by doubts and weighted down by what you believe you lack or could have.

Nobody can be you – remember that. It does matter how much of you they possess, you are unique, and there are no two of you even if you are a twin. When you acknowledge and accept who you are, you radiate it. You feel that smile coming off the corner of your lips for no reason. You say a prayer for the homeless man as you walk past them on the street. You have that power to control and turn around what you feel isn’t right. Believe it now; it starts from the inside of you, not the outside. Yes, sometimes a broken exterior can tarnish your internal potential, but it starts from the inside of you.

Emphasize On the Meaning, Not the Feeling

This might not make sense to a lot of people, but the truth is the power accorded to a thought or idea affects your life. There are a million reasons to be sad, but one spark of genuine happiness is all you need to breakdown the wall of sadness around you.

Most people lack the skill to understand what a feeling means hence fail where they should succeed. A great feeling can make you feel bad, but if you thought it through, you could decipher it wasn’t for you and make better choices.

Feelings are important, but the meaning behind them is what we are and need to be. So, basing your life’s decision solely on your emotions will leave you hurt and empty.

LIFE IS TRULY BEING FULFILLED, NOT JUST HAPPY, RICH, OR PHYSICALLY-ATTRACTIVE

When you have fulfillment, you have an inner strength that can transform any situation. Happiness isn’t fulfillment; it is a byproduct of it. When you are fulfilled, you automatically become happy.

Your before and after are lessons that teach you how successful your struggles were, but also a way to be fulfilled with what you have. In finding fulfillment, it is essential to look within. 

Look inward – Whatever you are trying so hard to cover, change, or disregard, there is a solution within you. If you lack the courage to accept your body and flaws, you will still see them after a surgical procedure. That imperfection is in you until you fix it, it will affect everything outside of you.

Don’t be too attached – Whether it is to a job, a relationship, or an object, don’t be too attached. Isn’t it ironic how when you let go, you have space for more and better things? Fulfillment is to know when you are not in charge, learning to relinquish control and just relaxing for nature to take its course.

Accept who you are – In a world where we can be hated for being ourselves and loved for being fake, this can be one of the most challenging things to do. It is perfect – your kindness, generosity, caring, and loving attitude can’t be made up or bought in a doctor’s office. So rather than think what or who you could superficially be, work on improving what defines you and why, and grow from there. The key is to accept who you are and evolve and resolve to personally grow and improve. Self-actualization is a journey where you may discover that you can constantly evolve and be refined.

Conclusion

Finally, it is easy to hide our flaws and shortcomings with makeup, surgeries, and other body enhancements, but the physical façade may not totally make you feel flawlessly fulfilled inside. No matter how much you hide or ignore it, how you feel inside will always slip or seep through a well-chiseled body.

As you try to find fulfillment in a chaotic world, zone into your good traits and accept the thing you can’t change without allowing superficial nuances and worldly pressure to make you feel you are not enough. You can choose to feel fabulous without the permission of others and showing some humility is not bad either. Choosing to be flawlessly fulfilled inside and feeling confident in your “perfectly” imperfect essence will bring you peace of mind and happiness that lasts. You have so much to positively offer the world and it truly starts from within.

Repeat this mantra every day until you genuinely believe it: I AM ENOUGH. 

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How to Believe in Yourself to Win in Life

Posted By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

02/01/2020

Oftentimes, we have been told that being successful has to do with the individual’s state of mind more than anything else. A lot of successful individuals have come out to say that the turning point in their journey was when they believe in their abilities to accomplish anything they set out to do.

While this sounds amazing, we must also understand that self-belief is much more than professing love for oneself and massaging a poorly formed ego. No, it goes beyond that. It involves taking vital steps in training, commitment, skills, and enhancements that would lead to growth and development in all areas of your life. It involves pruning down the old habits that have been holding you back through a proper strategy that is assured to enhance self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-mastery. It involves a relentless and glorious passion, investment and sacrifice of time without regrets or watching the clock. It involves things like a daily love affair for who you are, who you aspire to become, what you do, or what you aspire to do.

Some people's world seems like it stopped spinning regarding the devastating and unexpected recent tragedy and loss of Los Angeles Lakers icon and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the pilot and passengers involved in a helicopter crash. All aboard were on their way to an event that they were dedicated to and truly believed in. It is our belief that all onboard had an astounding belief in themselves and love for what they did that transcends time, space, and death and should be an inspiration to others on the power of believing in oneself. We send our prayers and condolences to all of the families and loved ones who lost their lives. We leave you with words of inspiration in our latest inspirational article entitled, How to Believe in Yourself to Win in Life to help you build or strengthen your self-belief.

7 Ways to Build Self Confidence for a Successful Living

In this inspirational article, we shall be taking you through seven ways that can help you to believe in yourself and ultimately empower you to win in life. The seven points listed in this write up are tested and trusted and have been used to ruthless effect in the past by most of the successful people that currently walk the surface of our planet.

1.   Conduct a Self-Assessment

Perhaps, the most important thing you must-do if you are serious about self-development and self-confidence is to conduct a thorough assessment of yourself. One of the hardest things to do for some people is to keep it real about themselves. Sometimes, admitting our challenges and things we need to work on about ourselves can threaten our self-esteem and self-image. Sometimes, people can hate themselves for being imperfect. Do not allow this to happen. It is important to know where you currently stand in terms of your strengths and weaknesses. An assessment will point you to your weaknesses and all the negative traits that have been hindering you all along. Once you have identified these weaknesses, you must then go on to painfully and laboriously work on them to get better, attain self-awareness, self-love, self-confidence, self-mastery, and experience personal growth.

2.   Develop Competence

Make no mistake about it, only competence can bring about self-confidence. People who are masters of what they do would usually ooze with confidence because they know their onions. When you walk into a room, you are sure of what you carry. Your subconscious would keep reminding you that you are one of the best around. Be aware that genuine self-confidence does not equate to arrogance, ignorance, and being snobbish and rude. As if one is superior to someone else. It’s a fact, nothing would make your belief in yourself more than the competences you have acquired in your crafts over the years, and therefore, you can’t trade building competences for anything. To achieve more competence, you should take time out to acquire skills, attend trainings, read and meditate from time to time.

3.   Build Self-Confidence

Building self-confidence is another aspect that you must focus all your energy on. It might sound very easy, but it isn’t. To be frank with you, there are a lot of brilliant minds who have traveled all over the world who still struggle with confidence. Yes, building skills would help, but that isn’t all, as we have come to discover confidence could be a mental thing. What we would advise is to believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who care, yet never disregard interacting with the less fortunate. It can help to keep you confidently grounded and humble. You must also be prepared at all times and stay ahead of situations. Once you do these, your confidence level can increase over time, as well as your chances of winning at your life goals.

4.   Trust Your Gut

One vital trait that all successful people have is the ability to trust in their gut. Let’s be clear, there are times you may make wrong decisions, but that doesn’t make you a bad strategist. Be sure to learn from your errors and allow them to become lessons so they can transform into your blessings. Deep down inside, you can intuitively know when you should take an alternate course of action. Overall, when you know that your course of action is positive and non-harmful for you or others, you should learn to trust your gut and decision-making skills, especially after going through the right process before arriving at your decision. Don’t let anyone push you around with their convictions when you know they’re detrimental. Stick with your gut and when you eventually win, it would increase your belief in yourself the more.

5.   Don’t be Held Back by Failures

Everyone has failed at some points in their life. This is why you shouldn’t allow past failures to deter you. The biggest mistake you could make is to wallow and drown in self-pity because of past failures. No, the best people you could think of have also failed (repeatedly) and if it didn’t stop them from becoming great, it shouldn’t stop you either. Forget that failure and move on to other people and projects, because you will eventually win if you don’t let it stop you.

6.   Let Your Wins Motivate You

Have you ever won? I’m sure the answer is yes, even if it was a minor win. Keep in mind that even minor wins can be like major for some people. Even someone considered to be the worst and biggest ‘loser’ has also won at some point in the past. At this point, forget everything that is happening around you and focus all your attention on those past wins. Can you remember how you did it when no one gave you a chance? Have you quickly forgotten that it was more of your back against the wall initially too, and you still pulled it off? If you can do it back then, you can do it now, because you are now a much better human for getting through your past pain and losses. Get inspired by your past wins and keep moving. Don’t have it any other way.

7.   Keep Working on Yourself

We live in an evolving world which means things keep changing over and over. See, if you want to stay afloat, you can’t afford to stop now. Yes, you need to keep working on yourself. There is a need to keep improving and learning new things to adapt to the changing world. Listen, you can’t afford to be a ‘has-been’ in your world. It would break you and drain your self-confidence. To avoid this, you must keep working on yourself, keeping yourself abreast of all the changes in your industry and exploring newer and innovative ways to improve your outcomes or stay in the know about self-improvement goals and trends at all times. This way, you can experiment and come to find what works best for your self-growth that can help you learn to believe in yourself.

Conclusion

Self-awareness, self-confidence, self-mastery, acquiring rare or unique skills and training are not the sole solutions to life’s entire problems, but we are confident they are the beginning of solutions. This is why you need to build your tangible and intangible skills to win in your life and believe in yourself without losing your humanity and regard for the well-being of others. We believe that having compassion and empathy for others is a part of believing in oneself. How can you truly say that you believe in yourself if you have no regard for humanity and you are human and a part of humanity? Feed on the buzz you create for yourself and watch yourself break down all barriers set before you that can pave the way for others. We can’t wait to see you win confidently by believing in yourself.

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Some Main Ingredients To Inspire Your Goals

Posted By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

01/01/2020

It’s that time of the year once again when some people reflect on the last 12 months of their life as well as look ahead in high aspirations for what their future beholds. Reaching your goals can help you to significantly improve your life and bring your desired rewards. Goals are not useless if you stick to them like glue while making appropriate adjustments. Remember to enjoy life with a lifestyle of moderation, harmony, and balance.

Years ago, I did away with setting New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I resolve to start today with what I have and where I’m at until I can do better and achieve more. I strive for peace of mind and avoid being in malicious competition with others. That can be one of the surest ways to get distracted, frustrated, cause failure, and bad karma. Why do that?

This inspirational article will provide you with some ingredients for success that may help you reach your goals, not just for the New Year, but throughout life. Hopefully, this article helps you to avoid constant failure and put a foot knee-deep in its a*s (Lol). Tell failure out loud right now that it is NOT welcome to set up shop in your life and you will never give up on reaching your goals – Ever!!!

A University of Scranton study discovered that 8% of people achieve their set New Year goals, and according to U.S. News, 80% of people fail. If you fall into the latter category, why not determine this year to be different? Why not determine your entire life to be different?

It is one thing to set goals and another thing to reach and maintain them. When making the listicles of your goals, a determination may burn in your spirit, but somewhere along the line, you may see yourself stumble over the first steps of change and slowly revert to your unhealthy habits. Do you think there is a reason behind this repetitive behavior?

The good news is that you can be part of that small group that achieves its set goals. You just need to follow a carefully and well-strategized laid out plan judiciously if you want the year 2020 and afterward to include valuable and meaningful success stories for your life.

Here, are tips that can help you reach your goals throughout the new year and afterward:

Remain Focused

That’s right. Hocus, Pocus, Focus! Create and engage in your campaign for Operation Laser Focus. Cutting off all distractions and staying extremely focused on your goals is the first key to achieving them. Master the art of mental focus and concentration. To focus on one thing, you must by default ignore the rest. This simply means you should consider focusing only on one primary goal and two secondary goals, which makes it a maximum of three goals each year. This way, your goals become a reality. If you can handle more, go for it, but do not overwhelm yourself. The most important goal should always come first on your priority list and in your schedule. It might seem difficult at first, but consistent good practice can help you to adapt your goals as habits.

Now, here is how to remain focused on your goals:

• Avoid procrastination, distractions, and time-wasters. When rude folks attempt to waste your time, respectfully assert yourself, learn the art of multi-tasking, use light humor, and avoid allowing them to emotionally provoke, hijack, and sabotage you.

• Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who remind you that you can reach your goals and you're not alone in this.

• Be specific on what you aim to achieve with your set goals.

• Set aside a reasonable amount of time to get things done.

• Utilize a To-Do list and your cell phone calendar to keep track of the things you need to get done. You can also download a free Google Play Store task app if your phone supports it. Strive to achieve a certain percentage of tasks on your daily, weekly, or monthly To-Do list.

• Concentrate on how far you have come and not how far you have to go.

• Ignite your passion. Visualizing may help some people reach their desired end results. I created a Vision board with positive pictures and words about five years ago to help me stay focused on meeting my goals. While it helped, hardly anything compares to me leaning on my Higher and inner power to get things done.

• Reflect on past self-limiting and negative behaviors that caused you to fail or get off track and learn from them to move forward without those obstacles. Be honest with yourself. Own any self-limiting faults to yourself. No one else can judge what admit to yourself.

• Research and practice mental concentration and focus exercises online. Visit Success Consciousness or Style Craze for some focus and concentration exercises.  

Knowledge

You can have all the plans, determination, and focus in the world, but without the knowledge or learning the infrastructure of what you desire to do and effectively applying it, you may not get as far as you would like to go. Sure, if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth or received a large monetary inheritance, you can hire people to help you reach your goals faster by bypassing the learning curve, but you can still get taken for a ride and taken advantage of by them if you don’t have a basic foundation of knowledge or desire to learn.

Some ways to acquire knowledge:

• Read. Read. Read. If you do not like to read, use the audio or video lessons that can help you learn what you need to know and grow your knowledge base.

• Hang around and learn from people who know more than you and are willing to share helpful information.

• Express your interest in having a knowledgeable mentor in your area(s) of interest. Research local mentors in your area or ask friends and associates if they know someone who is willing to be your mentor.

• Hire experts or inexpensive freelancers to teach you or share information.

• Take up a trade, enroll in college, or a training program. Some U.S. cities offer free training classes.

• Do your own independent research online, at libraries, through verifiable agencies, etc.

• Watch free YouTube tutorials and self-taught eCourses to expand your knowledge base. Be open to verify any information you receive.

• Stay up to date with knowledge about new or changing social and financial trends, technology advances, and relevant news and research in areas that interest you.

• Learn from the errors and failures of others so they don’t become yours.

• Never stop learning. We never get too old to learn something new and no one knows everything.

Spark Your Solution Revolution

No matter how purpose-driven you are, single-handedly achieving your goals is one thing you should avoid. You should create and consider many options and alternatives. Go on a figurative rampage to seek solutions. Leave no solution-focused stone unturned. People can support you, but always remember that you're primarily in charge of your actions and inquiring about and seeking solutions. Your goals might seem difficult to achieve at first, but just take a deep breath and never stop creating or seeking solutions to achieve your goals.

You can find solutions to reaching your set goals through different means depending on the path you choose, but the key solutions are:

• Start with small steps

• Plan ahead, don't wait for the last minute.

• Avoid repeating failures of the past.

• Write down a list of your top three personal or business issues.

• Write down a list of your proposed solutions to achieving your set goals.

• Look for techniques, strategies, and solutions from trailblazers and more experienced people who have been there before you.

• Experiment and strategically figure out all the possible outcomes for various scenarios and challenges you are facing.

• Commit to self-accountability while seeking solutions. This is huge. If you refuse to see how you contribute to your failures by not evolving pass what you may already know, then you’re doomed to repeat errors and failures and blame others for them. And, I am not referring to circumstances beyond your control.

• Check out this audiobook called Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life by Gary John Bishop (Affiliate Advertising) 

Measure Your Progress

It's not enough to ditch old habits and pick up new ones when working on your goals, you must make out time to CONSISTENTLY and HONESTLY evaluate your behaviors to ensure you're following the right path. This can help you stick to your goals. The best way is to set goals that are measurable after a short period. Feel proud of how far you have come with this goal often, it will encourage you not to give up.

How can you measure your progress?

• Take note of the distance to your goal. Research the typical amount of time that it takes to reach your goal and how effective you were at successfully reaching a goal or where you could use improvement.

• Make use of a calendar and review how effective you were at reaching your goals.

• Do a personal review at least monthly and honestly rate yourself.

• Get objective constructive feedback from others who are familiar with your journey and are willing to offer areas for improvement.

• Set milestones for accomplishing your goals. Reward yourself for progress and do positive self-talk and reinforcement if you fall short. Never beat yourself up. Take some time to figure out where you went wrong and how you can correct past errors. No one is perfect and even the best of us may not know if we’re coming or going on some days (Lol).

• Take notes and pictures, keep a journal, and record video to show the beginning, midpoint, and end results of your progress.

Review Your Outcomes

Before you do this, you need to have given yourself a "finish line." This is naturally given by nature, it could be a day, week, month or year. But, in this case, you've set goals which you should attain by the end of the day, week, month, or year. It is advisable that you set out the first six months to be your finish line. At the end of this first half, you can look back at your performance and what you have been able to achieve within this time frame. If your results are good enough, then go ahead with this goal.

Here is how you can achieve positive results.

• Take inventory of what solutions and methods are working. Adjust or tweak methods that are not productive and helpful. Let go of or reduce the effects of whatever is not working for you.

• Learn to turn failures into lessons.

• Be happy for what you have achieved, no matter how small.

• Be true to yourself and your goals.

• Make use of positive phrases or affirmations.

• Live in and enjoy the moment. Some people may be depressed due to something that is still bothering them from their past and anxious from worrying about their future. You must be in the present to make the future brighter. 

Maintain Results

Knowing that you're achieving results after your review will give you more morale, competence, and confidence. To boost this, motivate yourself with very enticing rewards, like each time you remember that reward you will be forced to continue working hard for your goals to be fully actualized. Don't let anything put you down, maintain your achieved results and keep getting better at them.

These tips can help you maintain your outcome:

• Positively build your self-esteem. Never confuse being rude or disrespectful with having high self-esteem. In fact, I equate rude and disrespectful folks with having low self-esteem and overcompensating for having a lack of self-esteem or other personal issues.

• Get things done at the appropriate times. If you are sleep-deprived, your work may suffer. If you don’t have uninterrupted time, you may be distracted.

• Challenge yourself each day to something new about your goal.

• Monitor and be attentive to changes in your mood, environment, and behaviors of others in relation to your well-being. If you feel like people, places, and things have you on a crazy roller coaster ride, then get off and find solace, stability, and support elsewhere.

• Don't take the criticisms and limitations of others to heart.

• Be cheerful, nice, and happy. On any given day, some folks may test you and try to take you to a sunken place and discourage your progress. Rise above this and soar. You are in control of your thoughts, feelings, and intentions and should know the direction you want or do not want to go.

Support

Don’t worry about any friends or family members who cannot see or relate to your vision. Your desire to better yourself may unintentionally intimidate or spark jealousy and envy in others; especially if they feel like you may surpass them in life. Some folks have a competitive spirit and may go so far as to sabotage you to make themselves feel better or prevent you from reaching your goals. You can help them by giving them some information to help them or by leading by example and becoming a role model for them. However, you may want to consider not involving them in your project(s) at all as they may stifle your progress. Surround yourself with those who genuinely support you and if you don’t have support, then don’t be afraid to be a one-man or woman force-to-be-reckoned with. You can do it! Any saboteurs may slow you down, but may not be able to stop your focus, determination, self-discipline, knowledge, progress, growth, and belief in yourself (and your Higher Power). Here are some free resources available to help you and them:

• Cell Block Legendz News & Resources page for links to help restore your rights after criminal convictions, some drug and alcohol agencies, and more. Our Cell Block Legendz blog with incarceration-related articles and Inspiration category with tips for everyday living.

• MentalHealth.Gov aims to educate, guide, and provide one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information.

• National Association for Self-Esteem to fully integrate self-esteem into the fabric of American society so that every individual, no matter what their age or background, experiences personal worth and happiness.

• The U.S. Small Business Administration can help you start, grow, expand, or recover your business.

• Your State’s Small Business Development Center to help with reaching your business goals.

• Score to help with business plans & startup assistance resources.

• ShopKeep Small Business 101 blog that is entirely dedicated to planning and executing a new small business launch.

Glow And Grow

Despite what your goals may be, (personal) growth shouldn't be left out in them. You need absolute increase and development in all aspects to enable you to grow (and glow for the ladies) exceptionally starting from the inside.

You need personal growth to improve yourself, gain more insight, foresight, and hindsight, and discover yourself. To achieve your full potential in life, this is the foundation. Financial growth is yet another aspect of growth you need to save money, invest, and be economically productive. It doesn't matter whether you make $25,000 per year or $250,000. It's all about your ability to save money at a good rate or pace and the percentage that you can save to invest in building wealth or financial comfortability.

Physical health is essential and a pathway to achieving your fitness goals. Eat healthily, exercise more, drink enough water, and stay physically healthy.

Cognitive well-being is a vital aspect of your growth too. Take good care of your mental health. Do not be afraid to seek counseling or therapy. It may seem like the world we live in is getting crazier. Do not allow this to jeopardize your mental health.

What's the level of your relationship with people and any spiritual Higher Power? If it's poor, then work on them and ensure that none of them are being neglected because these are the key aspects of personal and spiritual growth you can use to reach your goals as well. In my experience, having unshakable faith has helped mountains to be moved and render opposition futile.

Conclusion

The bottom line is to set a primary goal, be realistic, be consistent and remain focused. Now that you've gone through these tips, it's up to you to consider the best ways to reach your goals this new year and throughout life. You deserve happiness and everything good. Good luck!

Posted By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

07/01/2019

So long as you live, it's going to happen. What is "It"? You are going to get older. Notice that I didn't say, Old. 

I choose to maintain a different perspective when it comes to aging. Now, if you are still in your 20's or 30's and feel like this article may not apply to you, then stay with me and don't abandon ship. One day, you may reflect on this article, wonder where all the time went when you reach 40 years old or older and put the information in this article to good use.

According to my birth certificate, I will be 51 years old this year and I am grateful to continue to become older, wiser, better, stronger, and perfectly-seasoned (just like how I like my chicken (Lol)). According to me, I will physically, mentally, and spiritually transcend the aging process regardless of the date on my birth certificate.

There are men and women who are over 40 years old and every year, they claim that they've turned 21 again (Lol). Hey, I don't criticize their thinking. I get it. Inside their minds, they may look and feel like they are still 21 years old.

I remember being a teen and saying that I could not wait until I turned 21 years old. It seemed like once I turned 21, time seemed like it put on a pair of Cross Country running shoes and took off running faster than Forrest Gump.

So, what is the secret of people who are over 40 years old and still feel young at heart? Well, genetics certainly can play a role in the aging process and physically, we do have some control over how we age, to a certain extent. I am not referring to plastic surgery, facial, or body enhancements, however, if some people elect to have plastic surgery to keep a youthful appearance, that is their choice.

There are other things within our control that we can do to slow down the aging process. Choosing positive perspectives and life outlooks can help. 

If we worry a lot about circumstances beyond our control, then it may start to show on our faces and in our demeanor. It's said that we may even get gray hairs quicker. 

I stay aware of avoiding negative facial expressions and keeping in mind that my great-grandmother used to always say that we should fix our face and not make a habit of looking mean or our faces would stay that way. I think she was onto something.

Act your age is a term you've probably heard before. It means that one should behave in a manner appropriate to someone of one's age and not to someone much younger.

While I do encourage emotional maturity and intelligence, I am not opposed to anyone being a kid at heart at appropriate times and places and so long as they are not offending anyone with unwelcome behavior. Sometimes, it's healthy to appropriately let out our inner child. I still enjoy amusement parks, getting on the rides, and playing the amusement park games.

This month, Cell Block Legendz inspires you to not just age gracefully, but age faithfully healthy, mentally wealthy, and wise. Never forget to have fun and be light-hearted. Sometimes, life can be regularly-intense and it can be difficult to break out of a serious mode.

Cell Block Legendz encourages you to get the most genuine love, laughter, and enjoyment, purpose, etc. out of life regardless of your circumstances and age. We leave you with information and questions below for you to check out:

(Wow, I cannot figure out which one. They all look good to me. Newsflash: Sixty is not old. If 50 is golden, then 60 and 70 are platinum!)

(Disclaimer: It is not the intent of Cell Block Legendz to insult or negatively depict the woman on the right in the wheelchair due to age, disability, etc.) 

(Chuando Tan - Age 51 (No Persuasion Needed) (Lol))

Here is an article for you with tips for aging well:

50 Ways To Look Younger In Your 50s

https://bestlifeonline.com/look-young-in-your-50s/

Here is another article for you to consider regarding aging:

These 60-And-Older Seniors Will Destroy Your Age Stereotypes

https://www.boredpanda.com/senior-citizen-ageing-stereotypes-age-of-happiness-vladimir-yakovlev/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Here is a video for you to watch called, Do This Every Day, And You'll Look Younger for Much Longer:

Here is another video for you to watch called, 5 Secrets To Look 10 Years Younger | Anti-Aging Tips | Slow Down Aging Process:

Remember self-care and to take great care of your mental and physical health, teeth, hygiene. Lose worrying, distractions, bad credit, and toxic habits...And, not sleep, quality time, and good people.

They say that life begins at 40. Do not panic if you feel that you are still young and have not begun to really live. Do not panic if you feel like you are getting old and have not done everything you wanted to do. Remember that life really begins when you decide to be happy, healthy, (mentally) wealthy, and filled with (self) love! Start living, now, at the age you are at!

Questions:

1) If you could be one age (a one month old baby, teenager, 20, 30, 40, or 50 year old, etc.) for the rest of your life, what age would it be and why?

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2) How do you think you will look and feel at 60, 70, or 80 years old or more?

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3) What kinds of activities, regimens, and/or things do you think you will be doing at 60, 70, or 80 years old or more?

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4) Name at least three (3) activities, regimens, and/or things that you are doing now to stay young at heart, mentally, physically, and/or spiritually?

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5) If you read the above article, These 60 And Older Seniors Will Destroy Your Age Stereotypes...with the average life expectancy being over 70 years old in the United States, and if you could live until a specific age, what age would that be and why?

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(Disclaimer: Cell Block Legendz does not own the rights to any of the images or videos.)

Posted By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

03/30/2019

Sometimes, the day-to-day responsibilities of life can bring someone to a place where they feel bogged down, stressed, and blah blah blah. We believe that humor, comedy, and laughter can help to brighten and revive the spirit and soul and put people in a better place, emotionally. In this Inspiration section, we leave you with some videos that hopefully encourage you to feel good, laugh, laugh some more, smile, and be happy!

(Warning: Some of these videos occasionally contain strong language that may be offensive.)

Questions For Thought:

1) How often do you laugh or smile per day?  

a. Always (5X or more)

b. Sometimes (2-3X)

c. Rarely or Never (0 times)

2) Who or what makes you GENUINELY laugh or smile?

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3) What do you find is hilariously funny?

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4) What or who do you not find funny?

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5) Who or what makes you GENUINELY happy? 

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Sometimes, one can feel forced to laugh at the jokes of others or fake their happiness to make others feel good and not be a Debbie or Donnie Downer. Everyone does not process humor or happiness the same and you are not obligated to laugh or smile at the jokes or antics of others if you do not find them funny. Perhaps you have your own way of feeling good and smiling on the inside and that is okay.

However, if you find that you have a continuous loss of enjoyment of life that does not go away or you never laugh or smile, then you may want to consider finding out what appeals to your sense of humor, makes you happy and laugh or smile, and/or reaching out to a professional for help to see if you may be depressed or otherwise.

(Disclaimer: Cell Block Legendz does not own the rights to these videos.)

Best Motivation By The Man With No Arms and No Legs 

Nick Vujicic Inspirational Video

Posted By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

01/28/2019

By Cell Block Legendz Administrator

11/11/2018

Around the third quarter of 2015, I was scouring the Internet in search of self-help information and came across an article on Quora authored by a Filipino life coach. He seemed to be able to answer every question that was thrown his way from visitors with useful, relevant, and remarkable knowledge and since I am a knowledge geek, I was absolutely geeked!!! (Translation: I was over-the-top happy(lol)).

Well, I decided to reach out and contact the life coach via the email address he provided and to my amazement, he responded shortly thereafter. We began conversing via telephone with him providing me with courtesy life coaching sessions from the Philippines on a regular basis. He taught me about perspective, looking at situations in various ways, and adopting a limitless view on life and success.

On January 16, 2016, after getting a heads up from him, I attended a two-day private mentor conference in Manhattan, New York headlined by a knowledge guru and mastermind. It was truly a life-changing event and turning point in my life. 

I have pretty much had a thirst for knowledge ever since I can remember and aspired to achieve a better life despite my successes and learning experiences. My dearly departed mom, who passed away on March 31, 2018, gave birth to me when she was 14 years old and I was raised by my maternal grandmother and briefly by my maternal great grandmother after my maternal grandma passed away after the death of my maternal grandfather. My paternal grandmother and grandfather died in a tragic car accident about six years prior to my birth and my father spent about 10 or more years in prison when I was younger. 

I am a divorced mom of two adult children who graduated from high school. I earned my AS in Communications and Media Arts With Distinction and earned my BA degree in communications with a minor in psychology - cum laude. 

I have completed volunteer work, college internships, worked as a receptionist, sales assistant, performed live broadcast remotes, wrote on-air radio scripts, facilitated a celebrity meet and greet, and completed other tasks at an independently-owned and operated hometown radio station (that experience was one of the most memorable jobs I've ever had). I was also a college intern at a local TV and cable company, a bank employee who cashed checks for major corporations, and a taxi driver who worked 12-hour shifts (including overnights). I have worked as a social work Examiner who assisted clients applying for and receiving public assistance, food stamps, and medical assistance, and as an After-Hours Volunteer who placed homeless persons in shelters. 

Other work experience that I gained was as relief staff at a homeless shelter for women and children in transition, Assistant Girl Scout troop leader, a banquet server, costume waver, receptionist for a security company, and I worked at Burger King and McDonald's as a fast food employee over 30 years ago. Life has thrown a lot of curve balls my way, so I have learned to become resilient, resourceful, and self-motivated through it all.

During the private mentor conference that I attended in January 2016 in Manhattan, New York, I attended the VIP pre-sessions, main sessions, VIP Cocktail Party, and Diamond Dinner. At the conclusion of the conference, there was an Invite Only dinner exclusively for folks who passed an application process to become potential accredited investors. An accredited investor in a nutshell is a person or business entity who has a high net worth and is allowed some financial perks.

As the private mentor conference was adjourned, the group of approved accredited investors were hailed over to a side exit to attend a meeting that was going to be conducted by the conference guru and mastermind. I purchased a Diamond level pass prior to the start of the conference, which was the highest pass level and allowed me to attend all sessions except the Invite Only dinner.

However, guess who (with a leap of faith) began walking and kept walking upstairs along with the group of potential accredited investors and into the Invite Only dinner? Okay, I guess that you can say that I "sneaked" into that dinner because after I completed the Accredited Investor application that requested income information, I wouldn't have blamed them if the person(s) who reviewed it laughed all the way to the circular file and did a reverse slam dunk with it! (lol).

The Invite Only dinner lasted over five hours and we had already gone from about 9:00 AM that morning starting with the VIP pre-sessions. It was well after 1:00 AM when the meeting ended. I stayed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed during the meeting because I didn't want to miss anything. The knowledge guru and mastermind was like a (knowledge) machine. He spoke for what seemed like forever and some attendants were even nodding off and falling asleep. I was tired and sleepy, but I wasn't going to miss a word of knowledge coming from him. I left that Private Mentor Conference armed with a notebook full of new knowledge and returned home with a greater outlook, blue print, and plan for success.

Around two months after attending that conference, I convinced a friend to let me borrow $8,000 to buy a duplex rental property through a tax foreclosure auction. I obtained my certification from a local housing council for operating rental property and had tenants, obtained my certification through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Lead Renovator, became a certified firm, hired some independent painting, repair, and roof contractors, and helped to fix up my rental property. Below are Before and After pics of my first real estate property.

In March 2018, I was able to "flip" (sell) my real estate property investment for $45K. I used some of the money to pay off some debt out of the sale proceeds, pay some bills, improve my personal credit, help some family members, and start this business. My net profit ended up being a little over $35K.

So, this story is meant to inspire you to not only have faith but take strategic and calculated actions toward your life goals - not necessarily to encourage you to sneak into Invite Only dinners with multi-millionaires (lol). This story is to show you how having faith and putting in the hard work can move mountains!

Now, there will be times when you're faced with what seems like an insurmountable mountain that won't budge no matter what. Whether you decide to climb over the mountain, go around it, dig a tunnel under and to the other side, or figuratively blast through it, I encourage you to become creative and innovative. As much as life has thrown at me (and may possibly continue to do so), I continue to work on finding ways to persevere. If you are open to start doing things like setting goals, brainstorming a plan of action, acquiring knowledge, seeking (expert or experienced) help, taking strategic and calculated risks and action, not stopping (no matter how long it takes) until you achieve effective results, and combine faith and works, then you can make desired changes in your life. 

It was by faith that I sought out self-help that led me to my former life coach. It was by works that I attended that private mentor conference in Manhattan, New York. It was my faith that gave me the confidence to keep walking alongside multi-millionaires into that Accredited Investors Invite Only dinner. It was by works that I returned home and put acquired knowledge and a plan into action. My faith allowed me to believe in myself to convince someone to loan me $8K to buy my first real estate property and my works allowed me to obtain certifications to operate it as a former landlord, fix it up, and sell it. My faith continues in going out on a limb to start this business not knowing what the result will be and my works allowed me to put in countless hours of time, research, hard work, and loss of sleep to get this business launched. Regardless of the outcome, I can say it is truly worth it in honor of my dearly departed mother, for you, and to help others.

Looking back, if I could have done some things differently, especially from when I was younger, I would have saved more money from the jobs I had and income tax refund checks I received from employment and invested heavily into real estate property and self-employment a lot sooner. Nevertheless, my life has been and continues to be one heck of a journey. Thank you for being a part of our Cell Block Legendz journey. Here is a picture of the check that I received from my attorney from the remaining proceeds of the sale of my former real estate property:

$35, 048.85

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