Lift Your VOICE? Your Turn to SHARE

So if you followed me last week, you may have noticed that I did a lot of writing and a lot of searching. I wrote about my experiences, good or bad, to expose my journey and encourage other young woman to do the same. Often, I do a lot of the sharing and not much asking, and so, I would like to turn the tables and invite my followers to do the writing!!!

I know, we are all very busy, and I am the only crazy one, but I believe we all have a story or inspiring word for another sister, and so, I want you to do that!

I want all my followers to use one of my journeys from last week to share your thoughts, feelings, story, inspiration, or something! Think about your OWN bootcamp! As a young woman, what has been helpful in your life of relationships, spiritual growth, etc. SHARE YOUR STORY!!! We said from the beginning we had a greatness to achieve and I believe we cannot reach that greatness until we learn how to connect with each other and share our lives and own lessons learned! I am leaving it in YOUR HANDS! You never know, we could start a movement of strong links, sharing, inspiring, and believing that A YOUNG WOMAN'S BOOTCAMP starts today, right now, with US!

A Young Tulips Growth: THE LAST DAY OF BOOTCAMP!!!!!

No car alarms, loud music, or fire trucks to wake me up or disturb my peaceful serenity. Four Words: I LOVE THE SOUTH! If you have never visited the south than you may not understand my love, but if you have, and now live in the north, you understand when I say “Escaping to the South is a Must”. Luckily to say, I now understand why New Yorkers have homes in the south. As I prepare for my morning prayer, I noticed a small little tulip bud outside my window. Could it be the first sign of spring! Excited and curious, I begin to think about the little tulip. How did it survive all the rain and harsh winter that had occurred? How proud would the owner of the property be once it saw this beautiful blossom? Thinking about my own growth and moment of challenge, I saw through this little tulip my own harvest of endurance. I realized that God was reminding me that I must PLANT WHAT I LOOK TO HARVEST! More importantly, I must never forget to water and care for what I plant.
For many young women, the seed has already been planted! We often forget how to act upon and apply what God has given us, even in the hardest, most challenging moments. Like the little tulip, we must also weather the coldest winters and windy falls, but know that Spring will soon come and we will be expected to blossom. Now this is not to say you must hide during your moments of challenge, but rather get pumped as you are about to experience A GREAT WOMAN IN THE MAKING! During my travels, I have experience amazing opportunities to speak to young girls. They often ask me, “Ms. Nicole how did you weathered the storm and stay true to yourself in places like Corporate America and other places where you were pressure to be someone else or something else”. The shocking and honest answer that I give young woman is that it was hard at first and I didn’t start off with “YES, I KNOW MYSELF DAY ONE” attitude. I had to learn the balance of who I was and what everyone wanted. I had to discover that what the world actually needed was Nicole Allen, just as she was, and not some average girl who tried to be the prototype of perfection and everyone else’s dream. It was hard especially, working in a highly prestigious, uptight and conservative, overly aggressive corporate culture, where you felt as is if you were fighting for civil rights in the twenty first century with a bunch of white boys who felt you should be spending your time getting their coffee rather than actually collaborating with them on multimillion dollar strategies. But like the little tulip, I learned the seed of humility and faith from the women who stood beside me and helped me learn how to fight strategically and pray relentlessly.


And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.—Matthew 21:21. After I figured out who I was and whose I was, I was able to fight with my faith and accomplish things that many wonder who positioned me, and others who couldn’t believe that I was doing what they had only imagined.


During much time and meditation, I am left with this, God believes in me to have faith in his promise and believe in his plan. His plan is not my plan and therefore He does not need my permission or two-way conference call to get His plan done. Before I left for my trip down south, my grandmother said to me, “You are a Shining Star, I can’t tell you how to shine, but you know the way! Sometimes your light may dim, but I believe that God has placed you and I here at this very moment to push you forward and remind you of the greatness that he is calling you for. Don’t forget your light, you are destine for it and I am going to support you through it!”


With her words, I now say to you my young sistah, never forget your light or to water and nurture the seeds of greatness that God has planted deep inside you. You can never expect to harvest what you don’t take time to cultivate. I feel the move of God’s spirit putting me at rest to know that I have been made to endure His boot camp of life, for it is my destiny, as a young man said, to be HERE! As I get ready to pack up on my last day on my island of peace, I am filled with an over exceeding excitement and unspeakable peace knowing that God has used this very day, this very place, and this very moment as a boot camp to prepare me for my harvest of greatness. Your boot camp will come, or it may have already passed, but please understand that when God orders a rejuvenation, He doesn’t need to give you a lot of notice, only your obedience to square up and say,

“God use me, I will go, if you must revive my spirit, then prepare my shoes, so I can endure this boot camp and return a seed of GREATNESS to fulfill the DESTINY you have planned for my LIFE

WOW, it’s DAY 5: Hope you all enjoyed and experience something from my journey and BOOTCAMP!

You Should Thank Him: Yes, Right Now During Boot Camp!!!!!

So I did tell you that this is a boot camp, right? Sometimes during a boot camp you will experience moments where you may need your Bengay or good old faithful heating pad to get through the rest of the day. During a time of serious, downright tear jerking reflection, I felt I needed to share a MOMENT! Yes, the saying “You cannot correct what you are not ready to confront” is real. As young women we experience pains, especially in our relationships, and we often do not understand the growth or power in them, let alone how we can correct them. Speaking from experience, I have often received a response from God about my relationships I was not expecting. What is so great about God is that he knew exactly what and who I needed in order to grow and while I was off crying, God was busy preparing. What’s even more amazing is that God used that person as only a teaching moment, as they were the smallest piece of the overall picture into what God needed to accomplish. Imagine that! You see, it is often difficult to thank someone when they hurt you, but I am here to tell you young sistah, when you do look back, after the dust has settled, you will have the power to say “THANK GOD”. I needed all of that to make me into the woman I am today. You will not only want to thank God, but also the man or men that have hurt you. It may not be easy at first, but when it does, oh my goodness, you will thank them because you are so much stronger, wiser and better as a result of the pain you both experienced.

So as a young woman growing from her experiences, I thought it was only proper to craft my own thank you note. Now let me put a disclaimer out there, IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND FEEL LIKE OMG is she talking about me, probably so (LOL), but know that this was truly about directing hope to build dreams so I would no longer delay my FUTURE and maybe YOURS too…(SMILE).

I like to call it ….YOU SHOULD THANK HIM!

So, I was thinking about you today and us, and well you remember that guy I had told you about, the one who hurt me oh so bad. Well I was thinking, actually contemplating, that before you thank me and we begin our life of amazing adventures and uncontrollable laughs and smiles you should probably, no you should actually take a second to

Thank him…..

Yes PLEASE thank him. It is because of the broken heart that I was left with I learned how to walk with God and trust that Love is not just a feeling or something you wake up and experience ; It’s a CHOICE. Through the loneliness of a relationship, I came to experience the GREATEST love and the sacrifice of God that allowed me to understand what it means to make a CHOICE. It revealed to me an important lesson; we choose to love and we ACT on it once we choose it. The amazing thing is through the complication of loving him; I learned the simplicity of loving you. It showed me that what we think and say to be complicated is really simple.

So you JUST GOT TO THANK him.

Don’t bother being mad at him. In fact, THANK him that I stopped looking for you and began believing you would find me. No better lesson could I have learned than the one of understanding I could no longer control the outcome of whether love would find me. It was a MUST that I stop trying to predict the future of LOVE. Don’t forget to express your gratitude in the prayer warrior he helped build. In the absence of him, I learned the intimacy of prayer and the importance of coming together to build OUR prayer game. You see if I would have never experience the unavailable him, I may have never knew how awesome two people can be when their voices are lifted to God and their arms are raised to the sky giving thanks for LIFE and the ABILITY to share it with one another.

So go ahead, don’t hold back, THANK him for his contributions.

As tears run down my face, I am happy and feel with an overwhelming sense of amazement that you are here. I too feel the need to thank him along with you. Without him I would have never taken the time to prepare myself for you. I know now that with him I took myself too seriously, which is why I can now laugh when you make that funny face or funny smell. So don’t feel obligated to repair anything that has happened in my life, because through it all I have become a better me and more importantly I have become a whole me. I am now stronger than ever and ready to unite the whole me with the whole you. I now understand that my purpose in your life is NOT to complete you, but to assists you in completing the assignment that God has in your life and for you to do the same in mine.

So trust me when I say your THANKING him should not be crude or filled with cynical words, but with a sense of gratitude. He completed his assignment, and now I am all yours. What is so amazing is when I see your smile, I see the answered prayer that I explained to God when I was imagining what you would look like, what you would think about, what you would live for, and most importantly how you would allow me to enter a space where only God occupies. You might want to give this brother a hug, because his assignment was only to prepare me for you!

In fact, thanking him is the right thing to do; I mean what better thank you, could you give this Brother for giving me to you. In fact, I want to thank him for allowing me to see what it would feel like when I thanked God for creating such an amazing man like YOU!

Strength, Courage, and A Good Pair of Wings: Don't Leave Boot Camp It's Only Day 2

My sisters and I, better known as THE ALLEN SISTERS, are extremely close. Now like any sisters, we grumble, disagree, share humiliating stories, laugh, cry, and all the things you can only do with your siblings. For many years, I have hidden under their protection. They have always been a place of safety for me and I learned how to stay in close sight of their love and safeguard!! They have always held my wings like a little bird teaching me how to fly in this world, preparing me for the ugly vultures (ladies, you know what I am referring to) , and ensuring that I knew how to eat at times they would not be around. As a little bird, being far away from your family can be scary. You have practiced how to fly your entire life and when you are face with doing it on your own you may PANIC. It is as if one day you wake up to find your big sister birdies have left the nest (just for a quick shopping break and light lunch) and there is no one to hold your wings as you have always practice. You have to fly all by yourself. Can you imagine how the little bird must feel going to the end of the nest and looking out into the world 10,000 feet away from the ground? Do you wonder if the little birdy has forgotten the courage that has been taught during the cold nights of soaring the skies? Do you believe that sometimes they may not know their own strength? Or do they just sometimes not realize the power of their own beautiful wings?



Like the birdy, we often look to see who will help us fly. As we think we are being put in place of impossible, God is actually molding and preparing us to SOAR in the possible. He must know you can fly on your own, for “He will give you wings that are MADE to SOAR”. My grandmother recently told me this, “Sweetie, Life can be Hard, it may knock you, but God’s Grace will hold you. You must believe in Him and make Him your wings so when you fly, you will have faith to know that it is He who will helps you Soar!”


This story is for any young sister who is being prepared to soar and is afraid to tip toe to the edge of the nest and fly. Like me, you may have the BEST SISTERS, mother, father, BFFs, in the WORLD, but you yourself must not be afraid to use your own beautiful wings and SOAR into the world. I am challenging you to give it all you have and remember your SOURCE! Source, I have used that word so many times! I am reflecting on SOURCE for a second and understanding the GREATNESS behind it…………….


God knows your HEART and He will prepare the atmosphere so when your time of greatness arrives, you not only FLY into it, but you SOAR right through it!

This is dedicated to my LOVELY sisters who prepared me for the big SKIES. You taught me to LOVE MYSELF, never FORGET MYSELF, and MOST OF ALL know that no matter how FAR WE GO WE will always BE

THE ALLEN SISTERS, strong and beautiful,

It's A Boot Camp so Get READY: Who YOU got with YOU

Remember back in the day when girls use to beef with each other and gather in a big crowd to have a showdown or beat down? The talk had been around school that someone had been talking smack about the other and it was time to face it head on! Well, if you are like me and have never fought a day in your life, you too are probably hoping it is all talk and nobody will really fight! Your girlfriends are looking at you like, “You know you have never been in a fight in your life and it may get ugly”. Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping. Anxious, you look back and just like you, your friends are praying and contemplating whether to walk away or stand there to see how it goes down! Everyone is ready and willing to jump up at any moment, and someone shouts out “So, who you got with you?”

 

Through my own journey in life, I have often been faced with this same question. I have learned Sometimes instead of looking above me, as the pastor says; I have looked behind me which only leads to my own disappointment. We often become frustrated when we look for people to ALWAYS have our backs or heal our pain. We assume that they must contain the capacity to push us forward or simply comfort us at every step through this thing called “life”. Your friends and family will always love you and will always WANT to be there in your toughest moments. Please don’t think your love ones do not want to give you everything they have, but rather you are hoping in them for things that they are often not designed to offer. As I grow, I have found that the humanity of people are often too small and too limited to offer you what the boundless and illimitable power of God will never fail to give you!

Lamentations 3:24: says, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him”! One of the most powerful thoughts to remember that I must often remind myself of is this, “If you put your hope in anyone other than God, your sadness will overbear your JOY and subtract from the JOURNEY that God has placed you on!” A moment of meditation……… and Reflection………………

As I reconnect with my southern roots, sitting outside in a quiet garden with just me and the sweet aroma of God’s tranquility and never ending love, I am at peace to tell one of my young sisters this, “Believe in your heart that one day you will find a peace that is greater than any crew, family member, or support system could ever give”. Be patient with yourself little sister and know that growth is TOUGH. No one can do it for YOU, so don’t be afraid to cry out when you feel alone or experiencing the toughest boot camp of your life. If you don’t know where to find peace, it’s okay to reach out to someone and asks them, but often God will lead you to it if you just ask. Be reassured that when you look back and feel as if no one is there, God is, but to see Him you must look ABOVE. You can find your way back when you ONLY ALLOW Him to lead you THERE!” So the next time when someone asks you “who you with”, let them know I got Jesus and His crew so the better question is “Who YOU With!” Or in the words of my BFF, “WHO GOING TO CHECK ME BOO”! LOL…….. See you tomorrow for DAY 2!

The Gift of Desperation

First, let me say go Obama care! History has been made and it’s because someone stepped into their destiny and BELIEVED IN HOPE! You go Boy, I mean Mr. President!

During the last several days, I took a personal vacation to revive my spirit and refocus on the purpose and very plan that God has ordered in my life. I wish I could say that I went on a tropical vacation that was on my schedule since last spring. You know the trips you save almost half on because you purchased so far in advance. A trip you decide on because you want to use up your vacation days at work or need a place to go just because it’s that time of the year. Like many of us, I was well over due for a vacation, but unwilling to take one, and well, someone ABOVE us decided that if I was not going to willingly take one I would be placed in a position where I would cry out for one. You know the feeling where you can’t explain, it makes no sense, and everyone is left puzzled of your abrupt departure. What I and everyone else fail to realize is that the trip that I thought was so unplanned is actually the very vacation that God booked well in advance. You see my desperate moment of escape was only the strategic planning of God in bringing me to a place where I could be at total and complete submission to Him and no one else. God said, “Return unto me and I will return on to you”. You see the gift of a desperate moment is the set up for when you began to realize that you have taken a detour and you must now find your way back to the main road; YOUR SOURCE.


I learned so many things during my alone time and I want to share them with you. I wrote every day of my journey; mostly how I was awaken by the aroma of only God and the intimacy of His voice and His Silence. I am going to share my FIVE JOURNALS with you each day. I like to call them A Young Woman’s Boot Camp, inspired by a young man’s faith and unimaginable strength to seek God even at a time where he is facing the hardest boot camp of his life; a place where neither you nor I would never ever want to go. As my candid journals may be dismaying to some, I think as true leaders of greatness we must be transparent and allow the world to see our normality. I hope my willingness to be free and open about my growth and experiences will save some young girl close to giving up on her dreams and settling for less than her best life. I hope I can encourage another young woman who is experiencing a desperate moment right now to fight strategically and stand up boldly. My faith is renewed in the fact that I will not DEPEND ON ANYONE but my SOURCE! I am strengthen to know that LIFE will be LIFE, but my muscle of FAITH will continue to grow everyday because God is using my mustard seed of Faith to take me further into my HOPE! So you see Sistah, I am in a place of awesome peace right now that surpasses all understanding and it is because I found the GIFT of a DESPERATE MOMENT! I hope you ENJOY and FIND SOME WAY TO reposition and rethink your own steps when you too experience a seemingly hopeless moment. Meet me tomorrow for DAY 1!

Blessings Sistah Lady Allen

A Letter to a Young Sister

Dear Little Sister,

Let me first say I am so proud of you! You have weathered the storm, done the unthinkable, and have begun to live your dream. You have done what others have only dreamed of and more. I marvel at your strength and applaud your boldness. I remember many years ago you told me “Sister, I am dreaming of greatness and I must go after it. I know at times it may not be what I have envisioned it to be, but I am going to WORK HARD for it. I see a world out there filled with so many opportunities, and, well, I must answer the call.” After those words, I knew you were destine for it. Every day I pray for you. I pray that God will give you the strength to be bold in answering the call and the humility to allow Him to guide you. I know it may get tough at times. Every great idea or move you make may not always work out the way you would have hoped. You may, at times, be wounded in the fire, but trust me it will not destroy your dream or purpose. Oh yes, there will be times where you will feel alone, but know that in those moments you are being situated to take some quiet time with the One who is requesting your attention and needing your Ear.

I have never been more proud of you and I pray you will keep doing the unthinkable. You are no carbon copy, but a true trailblazer who has been put on an assignment to blaze a path for other women to follow. I know now that you have been remarkably made and undeniably destined for greatness far greater than anyone on earth could ever imagine. As someone with a little experience of climbing that ladder in some amazing stilettos, I have learned that you must be willing to extract all the pressure of others and believe that you are a VESSEL designed ONLY for God and what He has for your life; so allow Him to be your GUIDE! Remember little sister BE Smart and BE Fabulous but always remember to listen and trust your GUIDE!

You have so many amazing Sisters who believe in you and are cheering for you every step of the way. If you stumble, WE ARE HERE! If you forget, WE ARE HERE! If you lose sight and get scared, WE ARE ALL HERE! We got your back little sister! So keep serving and never wavering in what you have been CALLED to DO! I call it Destiny, but you call it JUST AN ORDINARY RESPONSIBILITY!

Love and Blessings

Lady Sistah Allen

An Honest Answer is The Sign of TRUE FRIENDSHIP

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you weren’t sure how? Was there ever a love one that you could never find the time or space to be candid? Better yet, have you ever held back your feelings or a deal-breaking thought and felt that you had again allowed another missed opportunity to pass you by! Yeah, I know what you are thinking? How and who told Sistah Lady Allen all my business? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone and the reality is that we have all thought twice about being honest with someone in an effort to not hurt them or better yet not face our own reality. Proverbs 24:26 tell us “An honest answer is the sign of true friendship”. My best friend always reminds me that “LOVE IS NOT PASSIVE” and neither is friendship. You must have the courage to be candid if you want to be joined with someone.


Thinking of my own flaws, I know that this is something very hard for me at times. I am scared to “rock the boat” with family, friends, and OTHERS (smile..). As I grow, I am learning that there is no pressure to worry about what others may or may not do with the honest truth! Let this be a season that we begin to show our love through honesty and candid conversation that does not deflate someone but helps them build into the GREATNESS they are required to become. Remember sistah girl, you are so beautiful and you must be willing to allow others to see all of you, which is the HONEST YOU!

Be Great With Your OWN Tools

My mom use to say, “Niki if you got something burning on the inside and you don’t share it, well sweetie you have just lost your voice and privilege to breath and take up space. So I am going to share this in hopes that the air I breathe is not charity but something I rightfully own and dutifully give. A preacher today gave me a word that awoke my spirit and gave fire to the hand of my future. As he spoke about spiritual warfare he proclaimed that we cannot conquer what we cannot confront. As he began to close he looked into the crowd and said “Someone needs to hear this because your greatness depends on it; so let me set you up. You can no longer fight with someone else’s equipment, but you must fight with what you have.”

At that moment, I knew he was putting all my business right out in the church. He had spilled my fears and broken the walls that had been separating me from stepping into my greatness all at the same time. He had given me the encouragement I needed to release my fears of not thinking I had the RIGHT tools or trying to model someone else’s. I begin to realize that the fire and call inside of me was REAL and all along I had the right tools; my OWN Tools!

Sometimes you will be faced with the fear of your own greatness. You will challenge and compare your own tools to someone else’s tools or the way in which they do something in an attempt to model your own efforts? But Sistah girl let me release YOU too; don’t be afraid to use what you have! You have the right stuff, the right tools, and the right destiny. Don’t get caught up in someone else’s fate, but be patient and kind to yourself to know you can accomplish anything with YOUR OWN TOOLKIT! God has given you remarkable equipment, use it! It is like no one else's and trust me he did it on purpose.

Your Service is Not in Vain

Many people were up and out today for another MLK celebration. As many were serving their community, others were watching the parade, while, honestly, the other half were taking a day off to rest. I mean honestly; no judgment sistah girl! As someone who normally is on the ground from sun up to sun down serving on MLK day, I took a different route this year. As my service was not the typical MLK service propaganda, it was making an impact and bringing a new meaning to a couple who had struggled so long and sacrificed so much to stay in business. I was preparing them in making baby steps for creating sound business moves to improve their establishment. As they were on the verge of giving up, they reminded me that because of sistahs like myself they have a chance to stay in business and really do well. Not only did we discuss saving their business, but through our conversations they felt the need to give free pastries to their communities to show their gratitude and understanding of true service

No matter where you were and what you were doing if you were serving someone other than yourself, well sistah your service was NOT IN VAIN. As I have often felt unappreciated in my attempt to serve and sometimes worn out from the NY hustle, I found inspiration in their stride. As I am reminded,we must be SMART THINKERS and STRATEGIC BUSINESS WOMEN in all our endeavors. I wonder how often do we use our gifts to make a DIFFERENT impact. Are we out-of-the-box social thinkers defining our own way to serve? Well I am not saying I am checking a list of what service I have completed this year, but I am trying to keep up the promise that you and I made to SERVE! Now don’t let me down, remember we have an assignment.

A Precious Moment

Her touch, her laugh, her cleaning, her Sunday sermons, her cold hands on my warm face are all the precious moments that are the pure essence of my joy rather than my sadness. For almost six years my grandmother, better known as “granny”, has suffered with Alzheimer's disease and like any grandmother she maintains a spirit of care and love in ever touch we share. During Christmas I was sitting by her bed after everyone had fallen asleep. I turned over to see if she had fallen asleep and like many nights she had not. As I lifted my head to see if she was okay she looked clearly at me and said “I am ready to go Home”, looking puzzled I responded “ You are home” and she looked clear in my eyes and with her small voice she responded, “Niki I am ready to go Home”. Holding her hand I tell her to go ahead, its okay, I am okay.


During my ride home, I reflected on her words and the essence of one moment that will forever be ours. My grandmother and I have shared many precious moments together, but this moment was one that will forever be an imprint into my soul, a moment that would shape me forever. Holding on to the lessons that granny taught me, I know her words are ones of preparation for entry into womanhood of boldness, strength, and unconditional love. As she still lives, each day is a precious moment.

So my question to you is how many precious moments do you have or have you taken advantage of to just thank God for? Or better yet how are you using those precious moments to serve others? If you are, than keep doing it sistah because your work is PRECIOUS. If not, well the time is NOW. No man knows the DAY nor the HOUR. I am going to use every PRECIOUS moment to SERVE in 2010 and well you already know your RESPONSIBILITY!!! So let’s Go!!!

A Decade to Serve A Season to be Heard

So tell me, how many “Top Ten New Years” resolutions have you READ in the last week. Or better yet, how many new resolutions have you made and broken in the last 7 days. So you know as THE Sistah Lady Allen, I got to keep it very sistah-like with you and just come on out and say it; your resolution will probably have a difficult time going beyond the ceiling because they were probably created with self in mine. I am not saying you should never focus on making the YOU better, but have you ever thought that maybe your resolution has no lasting impact because you are too focus on YOU and what YOU need to receive. I know this may come as a surprise and if you can’t say amen as the pastor always says, “Go ahead and say Oh me”. One thing I have learned is that living for self deflates the progress of your own success. Once you believe in serving others the rest will come and will bring about great things more than you could ever imagine and I believe success is awaiting you.

Better yet, I believe this is your time to be heard; a time where you can serve in a capacity that brings fulfillment to not only your life but to the life of others that are looking for someone to step up and be bold. This is not a decade to be quiet, but a time to SERVE and a season to be HEARD. You can do it, you had a responsibility in 2009 and it must continue in 2010. My advice is PRAY, SEEK, BELIEVE, and BE BOLD. You are not alone, I too must practice what I preach and in 2010 my motto is “Is it Serving”. Through everything I do, I become, and I believe if it’s not serving well sweetie pie it’s not worth doing. We have a legacy, a responsibility for greatness and under no circumstances are WE going to give up. During my college graduation a remarkable women told us a story of her life and in her final words she something that would change my life. She told us “for whom you are is God’s gift to you, but what you make of yourself and whom you serve is your GIFT to God”. So go ahead sistah, be free in 2010 and live out what you and I know is your DESTINY!

P.S. Sistah Lady Allen has some big surprises in 2010 so stay on the LOOK OUT!!

Keep Your EYES..On the PRIZE: Chasing a DREAM

Four months and ten days ago I embarked on a journey that would forever change my life and begin my big break into reaching the career path of my dreams! At twenty three, I had landed a career opportunity at one of the largest consulting firms in the nation, obtained a sizeable salary, and had earned a respect among my colleagues and friends that made me heavily content with what I had achieved in so little time. But then the tug came. I felt something deep inside of me that I could not resist. Something that many feel but few act upon. It was the voice of my soul that began to speak thoughts of...”your destiny goes such more further than where you stand at this very moment, your future is greater than your contentment, your long term dreams are much bigger than your short term success". And so I left my job, moved to NY, began school full time, and never looked back! I was ready to go get my PRIZE!!!


Months later, I found myself walking down the streets of Brooklyn almost in tears. Thinking to myself, "Why did I leave my secure job? Did I want to be broke? What was I thinking, if I had only been more sensible in my decision making? Had I not prayed long enough? Had a broken heart cause my vision to go cloudy?" Refusing to embrace the fact I had made a mistake, or better yet God had misplaced me, I begin to seek out opportunities unlike anything I had every done before. What an experience. I truly believe sometimes God will test your heart by having you to serve in ways you are not built. And so it began. I was a hostess, waitress, intern, you name it. Several weeks later, I was sitting in a nice little coffee shop in Brooklyn with a good friend discussing my fears and dreams of creating social investments in communities of color through teaching your girls how to become social entrepreneur. After overhearing me, a young man began telling me about his experience and a similar passion. We talked for hours, and days later I had received two calls for an internship, opportunities to meet some amazing people, and a unique challenge to bring my passion of business and social change to small business owners in "Bed Stuy".

I share my story not to impress, nor to razzle dazzle anyone; but to encourage those young women who are close to giving up. I want you to STOP, REFOCUS, and KNOW that faith and fear cannot and will not co-exist.

Yes I know keeping Your EYES on the PRIZE can at sometimes be extremely difficult. As I recall my high school African American teacher say..."when looking for your space to be great, you must KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE". You don't have to say a WORD, I know what you are feeling and experiencing. Giving birth to a dream can at moments seem too difficult to bring to life, but I am living the reality every day that it is possible. Perhaps you may read this and see a young women throwing away a great career and taking her past success for granted. Or maybe you will see a bold, brave woman who is following her heart and living out the destiny she has been called to experience. If you are for the latter, than I pray that this story does not only given you a fresh perspective on life, but inspire you to KEEP ACHIEVing, KEEP BELIEVIng, and most of all KEEP DREAMIng.

Guess What Today Is? And No it’s Not Just Any Ordinary Day

One hour and fifteen minutes before the clock strikes midnight and the calendar flips to Nov 30th. A day that I must thank God for as He decided that it was time for me to grace the earth and be sent to both Robert and Doris to be born. I am full of emotions and indescribable feelings. And no it is not due to the fact that I am THREE years closer to the big 3-0 ( a fabulous age if I may say), but rather a reflection of the amazing journey that God has begun in my life. I am just sitting in a place of amazement in not only how far he has brought me, but rather where he is leading me. This year has been full of joyful moments, sad days, unimaginable blessings, broken hearts, self reflection, and lifelong dreams that I have always imagined but could never envision.

As life has brought so many wonderful things at twenty six I only look for greatness at twenty seven! So watch out world, God text me and reminded me that to be great I MUST entertain the reality of His promise. And if God says it that settles it! So the next time you have another birthday, don’t think of it as just another day, but rather an experience, better yet an opportunity to be GREAT and serve Humanity!

Just keep telling yourself; It’s OUR Destiny and Lady Sistah Allen won’t accept anything less!!!!

It Gets Heavy: But Push Forward

Have you ever taken a look in the mirror and wondered is this my destiny?  Or second guess the desires and dreams that God has put in your heart? Have you ever been down a path only to get half way and it seems as if maybe you some how took the wrong path and you might need to change before you get too far? Have you EVER just had a HEAVY moment; so heavy that it makes your back ache, your pupils water, and your stomach knot up and rumble like a Category 10 earthquake?

Well, if you haven't than keep living and take notes for when you do experience it!!!

For those who have known a desperate moment and understand when I say " sometimes it gets heavy" understands that it is in those vulnerable moments when you must push forward. Many women like both you and I have goals and aspirations that we all look to accomplish. We begin down a path and something happens. We may even end up in a seemingly hopeless situation that places us in a desperate moment. But the gift of desperation (YES I SAID THE GIFT) is where God does his most miraculous work. You see, its called a GIFT because He will never allow you to stay there and He is using that moment to take you to another height; more ingenious than you could have ever thought of yourself.


I know it gets heavy! Every women has experienced a heavy moment once or twice. You are not by yourself. But you got to put your hands on your hips and know this is your moment, this is your season! Don't ever think for a moment that what God promised you, He somehow forgot. No my lovely sister He is just waiting for you to unwrap his GIFT! So Keep pushing forward! Remember you have a job to do!! It's called G-R-E-A-T-N-E-S-S and I am holding you to it!

This is dedicated to a young lady who believed in the quote "Is it Serving?" We love and miss you as your spirit is pushing us to know our greatness is not what we have but by who we serve!

A Daughter's Best Friend: You're All I Need

So I was watching The Bernie Mac show which moved me to write....Vanessa, the oldest of her siblings, was back in Chicago looking for her mother who had abandon her due to drug abuse. As a young girl Vanessa desperately needed and long for her mother's love and protection. She was willing to search the entire city of Chicago to see the one person that could hold her like no one else could, brush her hair unlike any other person knew how, and speak words that would make tears run like no one could understand. But why? And more, why did she feel as if her mother had fallen short!

Unlike all the other perfect people who have never made a mistake, WE normal folk understand that we are all human and we have ALL fallen short. As my sister loves to say "Thank God for Jesus"! Laughing to myself imagining her tilt her head back and yell this, there is a message that we must FIRST UNDERSTAND!! You nor your mother will be perfect and you both have been made human; that means leaving it up to the person that sits above you to get it right when you both may get it wrong!

Trust me, I deeply empathize with women who view their mother as that person who they run to when they feel like the world has beaten them up and need a band aid to heal the broken promises of a love one, a friend, or society. I know that feeling you get deep down inside that no matter what you have endured you can still run through the door, fall into mom's lap and know you are safe. We feel she is at many times all we need; a seemingly safe space that the world is unable to reach. I believe that a mother's love is the essence of God's atomic nucleus; an irreplaceable love and untouchable space that nurtures the soul. As he has placed a mother on this earth to love, he has not placed her alone. As someones daughter I have learned that relying on just one individual to relieve your hurt, build your inner strength, and take away your pain is impossible. The only possible source is through God; The LORD is my rock.....he is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" Psalms 18:2. We are made of many emotions and for many a mother is a person that we look to not only for comfort but the person we love to call BEST FRIEND! We as daughter's must also be reminded that our mothers are made of the same emotions and she at many times may also be looking for that shoulder or safe space to run to! Best Friends love, share, talk, support, yell, uplift, encourage, and through all never give up but endure all things!

This is dedicated to my mother...a wonderful women who has encouraged and inspire me to believe in the greatness that God has called me to be. She has allowed me to know that no matter where I go and how old I get she will always be there to protect and love me; but most importantly INSPIRE ME.

You’re Not Crazy: Just Destined

There are some days that I wake up and ask myself "Am I crazy to believe I can change the world" or "Am I crazy to think that I am destined for this greatness that is promised", or “Am I crazy to think there is suitable mate out there for me”. LOL…Okay I just had to throw that one in there, cause a girl just got to ask. But seriously, I know you would probably say we should wake up every day knowing that we are destined for greatness, but what happens when you begin to question your potential to be great? Are you less than destined when there are days that you feel discourage? Are you less courageous when you have a moment of fear or pure insanity? Let me first say, YOU ARE NOT CRAZY!!! Secondly, any woman who tells you she has never experienced a questionable moment IS NOT BEING REAL! We all experience those moments when we aren’t sure if the road we are traveling will lead us to greatness. I am experiencing some of those moments right now! REAL TALK! But what I am sure of is God’s Promise! Nothing happens on accident and having the courage to envision what YOU or others may not see is the destiny you must be willing to walk boldly into. My destiny is not by chance but the realness of my soul and the fight in my spirit that will never allow me to give up.

Let me speak freely here. As young woman, I have sometimes been afraid of failing or not living up to the greatness of what I felt was expected of me. I felt that some of the obstacles in front of me were too great for me to be great! But life’s experiences have shown me that the obstacles only gave me a better story, a stronger fight, and a God given purpose molding and making the destiny that I have always been destined for. As a little girl my grandmother would always remind me that the obstacles I saw were no different than the answers I already knew, for the obstacles in front of me were only life’s preparation to the success that awaited me. Words from an Extraordinary Woman and Grandma Brooks AIN’T CRAZY! So know that you are not crazy: JUST DESTINED!

You Have a Responsibility: It's Called Destiny

I am believer that when there is an assignment over your life you must walk in it. You may scream, run, hide, and even talk your way out of it, but when God gives you a requirement he means it. Trust me I know. Its that thing that you think about all day in class sitting at your 9 to 5 wondering what it would be like if you gave it second thought and followed it. It's what I like to call DESTINY. The destiny that we have been given is not only what is ahead of us, but the thing that is required from us! Having a destiny does not mean life will fall into place and work out perfectly! Take it from me, when life shows up on life's term you must be ready no matter what comes down the pipe. Your responsibility is to not worry about everyone else's destiny but to listen to your own heart and follow it no matter what? If you have a message speak it, a idea share it, a thought own it. I am listening to mine and it has taken me to new heights. Exploring ideas and opportunities that I could never imagine. Walking into experiences that I have only dreamed of and its because I am owning my responsibility. Are you?