Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom

Despite what anybody may have to say to you or about you today, you are enough. Yesterday, you were enough. Today, you are enough. Tomorrow, you’ll be enough. Forever, you’re enough. Change the way you think, baby. Don’t give control over your life, your self-perception, to people who have no business having that kind of power.

be kind. People are just happy to be alive. Our kindness fuels their gratitude, and hopefully our own.

the more you understand how worthy you are, the more likely you’ll find your strength again.

If you’re going to get comfortable, baby, find comfort in your gratitude.

Find your lane, baby. I’ve seen highways with six, sometimes eight lanes. If everyone is going the same way, then everyone is going to pick a lane and ride in it. Yes, depending on the lane chosen, some folks are going to get there a little bit quicker and some are going to take their time. But we’re all on the same road. You don’t have to do everything just like somebody else to be successful. Figure out your own way and be alright with getting off on a different exit, your exit.

remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit.

there will be folks around you trying to convince you that you are crazy. Or they’ll say it’s the devil. They told Jesus the same thing, you know. He’s healing people and working miracles and those daggone church folks claim he’s doing it by the power of the devil. So if people did it to him, they’ll do it to you.

This degree that life gives you is everything, honey. And you can use it anywhere. Life will give you a master’s, maybe even a doctorate, in whatever that thing is you’re doing right now. Use that. Use your life experiences, okay? Let your life experiences make room for your dreams.

Work on your dash, honey. You know . . . that line between the year of your birth and the year of your death that shows up on the tombstone

I encourage you to take time to focus on your relationship with the Creator, if you want to, and I’ll work on mine. Because that right there is all our business.

You never know whose chains you’ll unlock by having the courage to tell your truth, and you may even unlock your own.

love the Lord. I am a Christian. But I’m definitely not religious. I see how religion, particularly as an institution, has caused all kinds of separation between people who need each other.

when everything and everyone is telling you that you can’t do something, there’s still a way. When you feel like you’ve tried everything, there’s still a way.

Listen to the wisdom around, no matter what form it takes.

You are the only person who knows how you feel.

sometimes an interruption is a sign that something needs to be tended to. So if it requires my energy and time in order to make room for peace within, then I handle it as it comes.

Fear tainted my thoughts. Made me think I couldn’t be successful being myself.

If you are having second and third thoughts about someone, it’s probably good to not have a fourth one.

Sometimes as we grow, we will inevitably shed some folk naturally from our lives. But losing them isn’t going to stunt your growth. Nope, not one single bit. You’re going to keep growing.

let us acknowledge that our true self is enough, and stop it. You’ll probably be more productive that way. And you’ll definitely feel free.

rapper and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle once said, and it rings true: If your circle does not serve you or does not make you better, you ain’t in a circle—you’re in a cage.

be your own person. No one can live for you. Choose freedom. Choose to be yourself no matter who likes it or who doesn’t. You can still be loving to people. You can love people and still demand respect for yourself.

It was never my job to make anybody else feel comfortable about my life. This is my life. Your life is yours.

Can we train ourselves to be a good partner in a relationship? A good business partner? Can we train ourselves to do better at managing our finances? Absolutely. Honey, you can always be the best version of yourself if you put the time in. But if you are getting into these relationships with whoever comes your way and still not developing yourself, you are going to fail every time. Focusing on readying yourself will also give you the discernment to recognize who might be the right partner in the first place. I don’t want you to lose the fight, honey, so stay out of the ring until you’re ready to be there.

I know who I am. I know I’m not the problem.

Go to the root of your hurt so you can stop dumping your pain on people you don’t know on the internet.

whenever I’m in a traffic jam I assume God has placed me there to have some alone time with Him.

Baby, when everything and everyone is telling you that you can't do something, there's still a way. When you get to the crossroads and start feeling like you can do it, but you can't figure out what's next, I want you to whisper this to yourself: Patricia Blackstock Johnson. I want you to remember that if Tab's mama can put a pencil in her mouth to hit record on her tape recorder, what can you not do? Where there's a will, there's a way. All you have to do is have the willpower to keep going. Even when it looks like it's going to be over or the storm is too powerful, honey, stay in a state of gratitude. Give God praise in advance.

When I’m having one of those moments when I don’t want to do something, I remind myself that there was a time when I couldn’t do it. The blessing is in the fact that you still get to do it.

Honey, remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit. It takes time before the harvest comes.