Week 22+23+24 (Keep Going!!)

I have nothing profound to say. It’s the end of the MKMMA course and this will be my last blog post. All that matters NOW is what I do with everything I’ve learned. Because, as we all know by now, knowledge doesn’t apply itself. If it did, you and I would be much further in our lives than our current station.

Am I right?

Tell the truth now.

If life was just a matter of reading something once, or twice, we’d all have credit scores of 850, married to the man/woman of our dreams, and each morning we’d been totally enthusiastic about going to work each day.

But that’s not how life work, is it?

No. That’s not how any of this works.

If you want to get really good at something you have to keep doing it. You have to be be prepared to FAIL more times than you succeed and you’ll need to become comfortable with the squeeze.

There is no other way.

The MKMMA course WAS great. Now what are you going to do with all that you’ve learned?

With that being said, my fellow Master Keyers, I leave you with this quote from a woman after my own heart:

 “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

~Harriet Tubman

I wish you well.

Latasha Maria Dale

 

 

 

Week 21 (DMP FINALIZED)

Instead of constantly revising my DMP, I decided that after my guide returned it to me, I would make the necessary changes and then put the action behind seeing it manifest. Then, right before MKMMA came to an end, I would have one final look at it .

And with the exception of a few tweaks, can’t say that much has changed. 🙂

My PPN’s are helping others and legacy.

By January 1st, 2019, I work in group homes, community centers, and local schools teaching a program I founded called RISE AND THRIVE to young ladies between the ages of 9-25. The program incorporates yoga, meditation techniques, and the fundamentals of food and human nutrition. It is a program developed specifically for at-risk teens and single mothers.

In January of 2019, I am also volunteering 3 hours every Monday at local clinics throughout the Philadelphia area teaching massage techniques to young single mothers who have shown an interest in eliminating corporal punishment from their lives and have an earnest desire to create a sense of closeness with their children.
As of April 2016, I have begun attending workshops, seminars, classes, and retreats all over the world so that I can consistently, and successfully, meet the needs of my girls by staying up-to-date with the latest research on things like trauma, PTSD, neglect, and abuse. My purpose in continuing education is to be able to provide young ladies with the tools necessary to break free from the past and to help them reclaim ownership of their lives and bodies. I also use these opportunities to pick the brains of individuals smarter than myself, who are also committed and dedicated to helping people recover from years of trauma, neglect, and child abuse.

I wake up in the morning insanely enthusiastic about the work I’m doing because I know the difference that I am making in the lives of these young women and their families.

By June 15th, 2016, I make excellent use of my time by making sure that 85% of each week is penciled into my daily schedule/planner. My life is structured, organized, and orderly. Keeping a daily planner in which MY goals are written and highlighted also helps me to maintain clear boundaries with people I work with, my friends, and family members.

I do yoga three days a week, run three days a week, and walk Lake Galena when the weather permits, until my muscles are toned and leaned.
I am feeling amazingly confident and deeply rooted in myself. I take extreme pride in my achievements.

I am living a life of purpose and giving the next generation of my family something to look up to.

I always keep my promises.

Week 19 & 20 (Getting comfortable with the squeeze)

 

Week 19 & 20 (Getting comfortable with the squeeze)

There is just so much going on in my life right now that makes me want to scream. Instead, I applied the law of substitution and came up with this mantra:

I am comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Sometimes I have to chant it. Other times I can just say it once, or twice, before the frustration dissipates. Other times I am repeating it over and over and over again, with my head tilted to the side and drool falling from my lips.

I am comfortable with being uncomfortable.

What it seems to do is reduce my heart rate, while at the same time keep me rooted in my skin instead of my overactive imagination.

Reality?

Yeah, reality.

Anyway, give it a try when you feel life squeezing the life out of you. J It really helps to keep you focused on what’s important (and as we have learned from Mark, and the fabulous Davene, not everything is.)

Until next time!

Blog Post 18 (The Roof is On Fire…)

…we don’t need no water let the motherf*cker burn, burn mother*cker, BURN!!!

It takes years (not months) to cement a new blue print. Months to start to get rid of the old one, months to consciously have an earnest desire for something else, and then months to begin the tedious long and arduous process of building a new one.

When I first started the MKMMA course, I was so damn hard on myself. If I missed a reading, I would beat myself. When I didn’t get my blog posts out on WordPress on time, I’d feel terrible. If I didn’t complete a service like I promised myself I would, I’d feel like an absolute failure.

Why?

Because I really wanted to build a new blueprint for myself. This was not a game or something I was doing to pass time. No. Latasha M. Dale is determined to create a life of my own choosing. I am determined to take my life by the horns and make it bow before me.

So the pressure I placed upon myself was because I know what’s on the line and what’s at risk if I don’t follow through with my dreams and aspirations. The applied pressure was really as simple as that.

However, this is no longer true for me. I have stopped belittling myself whenever I miss a reading because I can say with absolute certainty that the new blue print is here, to stay!

Big things are popping and little things are stopping.

I have changed! I am not the same person I was before. So I don’t have to carry around as much weight and guilt as I was in the beginning weeks when everything was brand new. 19 weeks in allows you to breathe a little easier. And who wouldn’t like that for themselves, right?

Now on to the GREAT news: One of the goals in my DMP was to work with young ladies suffering from trauma and abuse.

Well, guess what?

Last Friday, I was offered a position at Temple University as an Outreach Worker. But instead of working with young ladies, I will be working with their mothers. My job is to provide the women with the tools necessary to be a better parent.

And you know what else? Because I am an employee of Temple, I get to go to school for FREE! I’m not the only one either. As long as I am a Temple employee, anyone in my immediate family gets to go to school for FREE!

It’s pretty clear that the MKMMA program has unleashed something that’s been hidden dormant inside of me for years, and I’m just glad that it wasn’t too late to tap into it.

Latasha

 

Week 17 (Staying the course)

With my daughter going back to college, my going back to college, getting the homework completed for the first two weeks of Financial Peace University, and the homework completed for Dream Catchers, I fell off significantly this past week. I’m talking about fell off to the point where Og was read once a day, the index cards were flashed about twice a day, no “real” sits, no obituary reads (although I did go out and grab the newspapers) I didn’t comment on anyone else’s blogs, write my own, or even really keep the last hour of my day sacred.

But it turns out that none of that seemed to matter much because the moment I did find the time to flash the cards or listen to Og, I felt caught up. Like I hadn’t really missed much. Especially when you’re going through the index cards. It’s kind of hard to beat yourself up when you keep reading all of the amazing things you’ve did and continue to do on a daily basis.

It’s like, Did I do THAT?

And then your subby is all like,

Why, yes, I believe I did.

Pretty cool, right?

And while there is still a great deal of services, homework, and assignments that needs to get done this week, there is less anxiety and more laser-like focus.

Clarity.

Order.

Week 16 (Building a New Blueprint)

Everyone has come to the MKMMA experience for something different. Some of us because we wanted to increase our income. Others because we lacked the courage to take a leap of faith in our careers. Some came strictly to see what the hoopla was all about. While others came because the program came highly recommended by someone they either love, respect, or both.
As for me, I am in the latter group. A cousin suggested that I apply for a scholarship (which I did) and was accepted. Admittedly, once in, I was like, “what the hell did I get myself into?”
Fair question, right?
I mean, here I am (a passionate fun-loving stay-at-home mother, short story writer, homemade psychologist, part-time healer, and a licensed esthetician that isn’t currently practicing) networking and rubbing fingertips over the internet with people who have established careers, large beautiful homes, 8 figure bank accounts, and pretty much a clear idea of what they are going to do with the rest of their lives.
Talk about feeling out of my league.
So what I did one day was, sit down, and really think about how I could still benefit from the MKMMA Program even though I am not like many of the other members, and that’s when it hit me. I will use the MKMMA Program to build a new blue print, to establish and become slaves to new habits, and to live a life of my own choosing by selecting my thoughts with the same enthusiasm and care as I do my outfit for the day.
And since that day, that’s exactly what I’ve been using the program for. To help me get rid of old ways and behaviors that were no longer serving me, replacing them with habits that I can be proud of.
An early morning sit. An early morning read. A visualization. Gratitude cards. A mastermind alliance. A midday read. A DMP. An understanding of the seven laws of the mind. An evening read. Beautiful, heartfelt recordings. And more.
Maybe you can relate?

Week 15 (Wild)

 

Wild is one of those movies that really stresses the importance of having a definite major purpose, a positive mental attitude, a plan expressed in continued action, and a mastermind alliance. Because without either one of these, I’m wondering if Cheryl would have ever finished her trek across the Pacific Crest Rim. (I mean she really did have every reason to quit and go back home, didn’t she?)

Without a burning desire to finish the hike, what would have happened when she lost her boot down the side of the mountain?

Without a plan expressed in continued action, what would have happened when she got to the empty water tank?

Without a positive mental attitude, what would have happened when she kept reliving how mean and nasty she behaved towards her mother when she was alive?

And without a mastermind alliance, who would have been there to cheer her on and support her whenever the going got tough? (Which we know for a fact that it did.)

Seeing the movie really helped shed a light on everything we’ve been taught up until this moment.

Why?

Because I was able to see those 4 tiny major habits being played out on the big screen, that’s why.

I’d happily give this film a 9 with hopes that someone else out there watches it and gets “something” from it.

 

Week 14.1 (There Are Consequences)

Since I’ve started the MKMMA Alliance, I’ve successfully managed to complete a few very important goals of mines. 1). Rented a table and sold some items at a local flea market. 2) Made and sold body scrubs with my uncle. 3) Started a kickboxing class. 4). Inquired about a financial seminar (currently waiting to hear back from the class coordinator). 5). Stopped smoking cigarettes. 6). Got the courage to cut ties with two friends who’ve long ago truly stopped being my “friends.” 7). Learned to change a car tire…four of them.

In other words, I now have the courage to just put myself out there in spite of any fear and anxiety that I may feel.  There is a part of me that’s truly afraid of conflict. I have goals and want to achieve them, but I also don’t like the backlash or anger that I may incite in the hearts of others while going after them.

It’s something I noticed in achieving all of the goals I listed above.

Sure, I wanted to learn how to change a tire, but my husband was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee. What if I ask him and he becomes mad at me for disrupting his day with my request? What if his drinking coffee was more important than what I wanted to do?

Regarding the friendships: I had known for almost a year that these two particular friendships weren’t going anywhere. The truth of the matter is, they drained me. So what if when I made the call to sever all ties they tried to apologize? Or say that it was all my imagination?

Same with renting the table at the flea market…When I got there, the woman who put it all together assigned me a dirty table that wobbled on the floor, and needed a stopper placed underneath one of the legs. But located directly in the middle of the church was a long clean table with perfect legs. What if when I asked to switch places she became angry? What if she deleted me off her lists of contacts? Would she talk about me to her husband afterwards?

It didn’t matter. I asked to switch tables, wiped it down, and set up my items. It was still all there though. The fear and anxiety. The “what-if”. It just didn’t paralyze me as it has done in the past. Because I’ve accepted that pissing people off may come with asking to switch tables. Friends may become obnoxious and petty when you finally get the courage to admit that the relationship isn’t going anywhere. And sometimes all a man wants to do is sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee without thinking about teaching his wife how to change the tires on her car.

It’s life. But I have to play if I want to win. In hindsight, it’s the pain and the suffering and the fear of being seen, confronted, and chapping people’s asses that have kept me from going after my own personal goals. Too afraid to rock the boat because, what if they don’t like me?

But that is what winning and being rewarded is all about. Long hours, struggles, crying, tears, rejections, and frustrations. That’s really what happens when you go after anything you want. It can be something as small as grocery store shopping on a day when your car is in the shop, but your husband’s car isn’t, and he has to be somewhere in two hours. You may cause a little friction by asking him to use his car, and then piss the woman coming out of the Dairy Queen off because you won’t let him in. You may upset the guy in the meat department who is in the middle of texting his boss at his other job, by ringing the bell twice, and then annoy the cashier and bagger by insisting that you bag your own groceries. But you’re back home in under two hours, your spouse’s lips are kissed, he’s out the door, and you have completed YOUR mission of going to the supermarket. Yes?

You can’t win if you don’t play. You can’t win if you don’t embrace the feelings of uncertainty, stress, and rejection. And you sure as heck won’t win if you try to please ALL of the people ALL of the time.

Accomplishing goals means putting yourself out there, day after day, and then dealing with the consequences of what happens when you do. Are you willing to deal with the consequences?

Are you willing to suffer for your goals? If so, how much are you willing to suffer? Because what you give will be what you get. That is one of the secrets. You do remember that, don’t you?

 

 

 

Week 13 (Service Card)

 

Has anyone besides me had the experience of not completing one service they had written down on their index card?

For me, it’s cleaning out my closet. I am completing every other thing I have written down, but not that one. Now I have to transfer it onto another card and wonder if I’ll have the same problem. It’s driving me crazy! Seriously. Of course, I’m sure somebody will try to link it together with some deep seated issue that I’m not ready to face. And that’s okay, because they are probably correct. But, if it’s not beginning to chap my ass! Like, just clean out the closet already.

This is the second week that I’ve completed every other task but that one. And it’s really not about time because with it being the Christmas season, I have plenty of that.

Anyway, I’ve been writing the 3 things I’m grateful for down on the index cards every night and the pile is growing like crazy. I notice they went from really simple things I’ve accomplished in the past to much more complex things like, “I’m not afraid to take constructive criticism.” The transition has been pretty amazing to witness. Leaving me to believe that not everything is about accomplishments. Sometimes it’s about the ways you’ve had to adopt in order to get Point A to Point B.

Well, I have to get ready to entertain family and friends.

Happy New Year to each of you, especially you.

Week 12 (Staring in the Mirror)

So, there I am, in all of my flesh and glory, with all of my strengths and weaknesses, staring into my bathroom mirror. I make sure the door is locked so that I am not interrupted by the children or the husband. At first, I am sitting down on the bathroom counter repeating my one sentence, but several minutes into it, I feel the need to doze off. Then I stand up and begin moving around repeating the same sentence over and over and over and over again. Yea, I proclaim it.

Suddenly, it’s as if the sentence, my enthusiasm, my faith, and my new blueprint mesh all together to take on a life of its own. Before you know it, I grab my fire engine red curling irons and begin speaking into it as if it were a microphone.

Latasha is standing in front of a room filled with people after being introduced by Ms. Keys. The people seated down on the floor are doctors who specialize in healing trauma, psychologists, sociologists, teachers, brain surgeons, and therapists from all over the world. In their hands I see note pads, lap tops, pens and pencils as they (like me) have been taking notes all day in order to make use of in their own professions.

I start off by smiling and looking deep into the eyes of the people seated before me. There is no fear, just a wonderful and sweet feeling of excitement as I have finally arrived to my goal. After taking a long deep breath, I begin, “My name is Latasha Dale. Currently, I am studying the effects of trauma on the brain, mind, and body with Dr. Bezzel Van Der Kolk at the Trauma Center located in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the program I founded, TIME To THRIVE, is now being taught at five different schools in the city of Philadelphia where I was born and raised. With all of that aside, I think it’s also important for me to let you know that I am a woman who always keeps her promises. Again, my name is Latasha Dale. You can find out more information about my program online. It’s an honor to be here with all of you. Thank you!”

I receive a standing ovation. And a smile shoots up from the pits of my stomach that I’ve never felt or seen on my face before. It’s a magical moment. It’s surreal. I have made it into a room of brilliant, educated, people fully devoted to helping people reclaim ownership of their lives and body after suffering from years of trauma. And I can think of nothing better or no other people I would like to be in the same room with.

I do this over and over again. I see the people. I hear my voice. I thank the presenter. I marvel at the number of folks in the crowd. I can smell the aroma of coffee that’s in the air. I hear the guy on the fourth row cough twice.

When my oldest daughter knocks on the door, it is 5:59, and I am just amazed at how the time flew by. I run back to the computer but I want just a few more minutes in the mirror. Because when I can look myself in the eye, and repeat what I desire over and over again, it becomes real. There isn’t a feeling of restlessness or boredom or even the feeling that such a goal can’t be achieved.

Anyway, after doing this exercise, and after the MKMMA Alliance comes to an end, I am going to work with a career coach. This course has really gotten me to take a good hard look at myself and suddenly I am able to pin point where the holes in my thinking are. It is these holes and character traits that I’ll share with my career coach so that they can help hold me accountable.

But, it’ll be me who moves the mountain though. It can only be me.