Rolanda Perkins

  I believe that we can all agree that, "who you   ARE   & what you   DID"   are often two totally different things. We all have a past and sometimes we struggle with that past & let it stifle our growth. We let thoughts of it intimidate us and sometimes subdue us to the point where we become paralyzed from moving forward. We must begin to embrace the fact that, the past is just that…   The past !! It’s gone! It’s done! It’s finished and our best days are in front of us when we truly have a desire to change the narrative of our stories.   So YES, we want to always learn from our past, but also grow from those experiences to become a much better version of ourselves. Just remember the next time those accusing thoughts try to creep into your mind to point out things from your past, you instead, remind yourselves of the following:  I am FORGIVEN, I am a CONQUEROR, I am WORTHY, I am an OVERCOMER, I am POWERFUL, I am a SURVIVOR & I am LOVED!! “You're welcome"

  The other day something sparked a memory in my mind, related to the  Special Olympics &  the amazing athletes who compete.  In my early 20’s, I worked at a facility that cared for individuals with special needs & intellectual disabilities. It was there that I had the opportunity to witness firsthand what it  felt  like to be part of the help staff that assisted in the Olympic games. If memory serves me correctly, that was my very first time assisting in those events. One could not help but to be overcome with emotion to see the determination and effort the athletes put forth to obtain their medals. They might not have been the fastest person in a competition and their balls might not have been thrown hard or fast enough to even make it over the line. However, everything they did was always done with  passion  and  purpose .  What I saw that day would leave a lasting impression in my mind for the rest of my life. Those exceptional athletes knew exactly what they were there for

That’s a great question for us to ask ourselves & to reflect upon. I’ve asked myself this question before, but I didn’t always recognize what the answer was, although it was staring me in the face. I was searching for external solutions that could only be found internally. The answer always found itself coming right back to  ME . I was preventing myself from being great! I would let shyness and timidity play dramatic roles in my life story. They were great actors performing those roles so well, they even had  ME  convinced that this was who I really was. It seemed that whatever I did and wherever I went, those same roles would present themselves to me as if I couldn’t perform in better ones or didn’t deserve to. So, when they became better Thespians than I was in  my  own story, I had to break free from those type-casts, so that my greatness could be discovered. Les Brown, the Motivational speaker said it best when he stated:  "If  you  don't program yourself, life will pr

Sometimes I give people a little glimpse into my world. I’m somewhat of a private person and don’t often share lots of my private life with others outside of my inner circle. However, when I feel that certain parts of my life story can be used to help others deal with their struggles, that’s what makes it easier for me to  open up . When you see me sharing parts of my life, please know that this has not always been an easy task for me. However, I’ve discovered that it is very necessary, and it helps promote healing for others, as well as for me.  There are times when we feel as if we’re the only person experiencing certain things in life, until we talk to others who’ve surprisingly experienced some of those same things in their own lives. I’ve met lots of people like that. Once they shared their stories with me, it immediately helped me to discover peace in the midst of my storm. So, the next time you’re  ‘going through’ , and feeling like you’re all alone in your struggle, please know

This past Memorial Day weekend I was blessed to be part of an Awesome celebration for several young scholars. They all reminded me that when you have laser focus, you can accomplish anything that you put your mind to. With the permission of one of those individuals, I wanted to share his achievements because I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen so many awards on one person. When I took the opportunity to pull him aside and talk to him, I asked what each of the graduation honor cords & medals represented. He explained the following: His Gold cord represented his 4.0 GPA in Science; The Pink represented his involvement in the symphonic orchestra for 4 years; The Red represented his 3.75 or higher GPA in Foreign Language, ( which he went all the way to Spanish 5);  The Black/Red/White cord represented the school colors and that he had served in the Student Council for straight 4 years; The Light Blue cord represented his 4.0 GPA & higher in Math class; The Purple represented his 4.0