This past weekend I had the privilege of teaching at my church, and the subject I taught on was being unqualified. While it seems to be just a word, it is a word that defines so many of us. I mean when jobs turn you down, one of the first things they point out, is that compared to someone else you are unqualified. 

Whether it is a job, a person, an event or even yourself, we allow the situations and circumstances we are in to define not only who we are but who we can become. We become doubtful of our capabilities, and we were to believe that we are unqualified.​

Your un-qualifications, are the very things that make you, you.

Let's chat! What would you say is limiting you for launching into your potential?
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​Let's talk about LOVE!

I know what you are saying, Tamika, love, that is easier said than done! Or, it is only easy to love when everything makes sense, when people are nice to us and everything goes our way. 

But the truth is that is NOT love, that is an ACT! And we can be great actors!

Love is, still being kind when you have a boss constantly working against you or when you are patient with that person that is constantly tearing you down! That is love!

Love is loving when it is hard and when it is messy! Love was never said to be easy but it was always said to be necessary! 

The Bible reminds us that love is UNCONDITIONAL. That mean's that NO condition will change the love that you have. 

And while it is hard, Jesus does it for us every day! I mean we make mistakes, we fall short, we do not listen, we turn or backs from God, but yet he still loves us. He loves us so much that he died on a cross for us before we were even alive. I mean what kind of love is that? Unconditional love!

I know you are probably thinking, but I am not Jesus! And while that is true, that does not mean that you should not be striving daily to love as Jesus loves. Each and everyday on this earth we are given opportunity to be more like Christ, even in the hard areas, the areas like love!

When we love we are not simply showing who we are but we are showing who Christ is.

So today I encourage you in the hard times, LOVE! Even when it is messy and when it does not make sense.

Let love lead and let LOVE WIN! ​

Life comes at us fast, and believe it or not; we often find ourselves facing more opposition than opportunity. Everything is pulling us in every direction but in the direction that we want to go.  While we often see the face of opposition as a limit,  it is not. 

The thing about facing opposition is you have to learn how to make it work for you. Challenges provide us the ability to grow. If you were never in that toxic relationship, you would have never developed standards for your future spouse. And if you were never in piles of debt, you would have never learned how to save, budget and create financial independence.  

Creating opportunity starts with re-evaluating what you see as a setback and developing a plan to build opportunity. Understand that these things give you a chance to grow in your relationship with God. The things that you face are meant to draw you closer to God. When we get closer to God, our lives begin to change, which allows our lives to be examples to help impact a change in others. 

Creating opportunity may be something as small as being kind to someone who is mean to you. Maybe it's you giving you last dollar to a homeless person on the corner, and reminding them that God loves them. When you allow yourself to be open to seeing opportunity, you allow God to move in your situation.

This week, I want to encourage you to stop looking at your oppositions as problems and take time to discover the opportunity they create. And remember, oppositions will come but how we handle it can change! ​
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It's 8 am on Monday morning, and you find it is an ideal time to check your emails. You open your inbox only to find 30+ emails fighting for your attention.  You find yourself questioning which email to respond to first? Or do I have enough time to respond at all? Have you been there? Me too! You see while email is a very beneficial tool; it can lead to feelings of anxiousness and overwhelm. To help you, I have compiled seven tips to help you overcome to email overload so that you can start managing your email and stop letting it control you!
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The number one step to managing your email is learning to not allowing it to become an all-day task. To do this, you must start by scheduling time during the day to check your emails. Whether it is during your lunch break or first things in the morning, schedule a time and stick with it. If you check a few times a day limit it to 5-10 minute intervals. Doing this will help checking email to be a scheduled task and not just an all-day activity.
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When you're checking your emails, start with deleting unnecessary emails first. Start by getting rid of promo and spam emails. Getting rid of these emails first allows you the opportunity to focus on responding to the emails that require your attention.
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To decrease the overall volume of your email folder, start with unsubscribing from promo emails is a step in the right direction. Most times we give our email to get in exchange for a simple coupon and end up receiving emails about company sales every week. For the sake of your pockets and your email space start unsubscribing and limit the promo emails.

Organization is KEY! Start by labeling and setting up folders in your inbox. Fast Company outlined a brilliant process for organizing your emails here. Once you set up your folders, you can begin to move emails to their appropriate folders so that you can either respond to them later or save them if easily find them later if they are important.
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Creating a rule on emails will allow for emails from a specific email address, or email with a particular title to go directly to its designated separate folder. Having rules helps to decrease the overflow of your regular inbox. When you allow your emails to go to their appropriate folder automatically, it will enable you to prioritize what requires your most immediate attention during your email access times. 
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Turning notifications off is essential to sticking to your designated email check-in times. Believe me, when I say, it is easy to get sucked into the email checking hole once you see that notification sign on your phone or computer. Allow yourself the time and space to check emails on your terms.
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If you want to receive fewer emails, start sending fewer responses. If you keep responding with open-ended answers/questions, it allows the opportunity for more emails. If you have a conversation that looks like it will become back and forth, then it may be best to pick up the phone and call that person. Believe me when I say 5-10 minutes on the phone is nothing compared to clogging up your already overwhelming inbox. 

Well there you have it, my top 7 tips to better managing the overwhelm of the inbox. If any of these tips work for you shoot me a comment or email, I'd love to hear from you.​