God has spoken. He has already advised you on what needs to be done, next. Now it’s up to you to respond accordingly.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Listen and Respond Accordingly
Tag: purpose
A Culinary Revival
Good Morning!☀️
“A culinary revival” is how I described the week I had ten years ago in October 2014. However, it wasn’t just the week I met Marcus Samuelsson, Leah Chase, and John T. Edge (the food writer and former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance) but also the months leading up to it. A few months ealier, I had been invited to a culinary event in New Orleans with Chef John Folse. So, by this time, I felt as if the culinary side of my life had been awakened, and it was finally time to use my culinary degree. Yes, I was somewhat of a chef many moons ago (2002)—degree only, never worked in the field. Let’s just say you never know where life will take you. You plan for one thing—I was set on being a personal chef and traveling the world—and life goes in a completely different direction. While doing part of my culinary internship at a local hospital, I met a registered dietitian, and the rest is history!
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s next for me and this culinary thing. It always seems to be lurking in the background. I use it when doing food demos for nutrition education, but I would love to do much more with it. We shall see.
Well, that’s all I have for now. I just love a good trip down memory lane. Thanks for joining me. Wishing you a wonderful day.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
You Are Powerful
You are more powerful than you know. You have the power to choose…
The direction in which your life goes,
How your spirit flows,
What your heart and mind hold.
Yes, YOU are powerful.♥️
Love you always,
Shaun
Be You
You were never created to fit in. Don’t tone down your presence to make others more comfortable. No… Stand in your fullest glory and be YOU!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Your Purpose Is Too Great To Settle
Good Morning!☀️
Here’s my first message for today—
Your purpose is much too great for you to settle for what is, or where you are. As I said last year, “You’ve got purposes to fulfill and lives to touch. Get moving!”
Yes, get moving and keep showing up. Someone somewhere is counting on you to continue walking in your purpose so that they can walk in theirs.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
What Did I Ask For?
Good Morning!☀️
“Everything you are going thru is preparing you for what you asked for.”
Whew! Sometimes, I wonder what I asked for because I didn’t think it was much. You would think I asked God for the world. Laughing
Honestly though, what did I ask for that requires so much preparation?
Up until Year50, I thought I knew; however, at this point, I am at a complete loss. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I did ask God to make this side of 50 different from the last. Well, I guess I had one thing in mind, and He had another. This side is different, but not as different as I would have liked. Baby… I was looking for all things to be new (I mean, He is God😉), not just my mindset. But, I guess that’s where different starts.
Anyhoo…
I have absolutely no idea where God is taking me. I asked for different than what was, and I guess that’s what He’s preparing me for. However, it had to start with my mindset, first.
Right now, I’m just going with the flow. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty nerve wracking at times because I was so used to anticipating what came next. Now, I’m out here blindly following God’s lead, with absolutely no idea of what’s to come—like, none—completely clueless. Yep, I’m just out here trusting His lead, and trusting His love for me. I know He will not lead me wrong, and whatever different is, will be greater and better than I imagined.🙏🏽
Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading! I pray you have a wonderfully, blessed weekend.♥️
Love you always,
Shaun
Sustainability
I have always believed in creating something solid. Something that would outlast even me. Something sustainable.
Sustainability was always one of my first thoughts when asked to work on community-based research projects, especially those that had the potential of making or breaking communities—leaving them healthier or leaving them worse.
I always asked—and I’m pretty sure many were annoyed—What’s the plan for after?
After the funding ends.
After the results aren’t found favorable, or publishable.
After a bigger and better opportunity comes along.
What’s the plan for the community?
I have found that commitment, longevity, and endurance are key to sustainability. You have to be committed to the plan (the vision), and in it for the long haul. You have to push through the hard times. Now, I am not going to lie, there were times when I wanted to give up. Times when my heart was so broken that I did give up. Y’all, people be peopling. However, I am now realizing that when God has a purpose for your life, even you can’t stop it!
So, here I am.
What I am building will last. I know this to be true because God didn’t give me a vision for something temporary. For a quick fix. He gave me a vision for something sustainable, where communities will thrive.
Here’s another great share from Bruce Van Horn. When I tell you his posts kept me encouraged! He is missed.
One crawl, one step, and one leap at a time. It will happen… It is happening.♥️
Shaun
You ARE A Winner🌟
Good Morning!☀️
Here’s what I shared last year, October 9, 2023
“Hey, You! Yes… YOU! I’m rooting for you. You will win!”
Guess what? I am still rooting for you! Just consider me your personal cheerleader. Pom poms, bullhorn, confetti and all! I know you will achieve everything you set your mind to do. Now, KEEP GOING!! Remember, great things take time. You’ve got this!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Make It Happen, Today! Part 2
Several posts ago, I mentioned a conversation with Dr. Cheryl Wood (motivational speaker) about taking a leap into the entrepreneurial world. Well, until I saw this Facebook memory (screenshot below) this morning, I had forgotten that a few years earlier I had become a sole proprietor, which became my side hustle for a few years. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking it because it—The Research Diva–RD—eventually became LaShaundreaB, Registered Dietitian and Research Consultant, the hub for all of my projects. I started with what I had.
Facebook Memory: September 30, 2017
As I said in my previous post, “Make It Happen, Today!”, if it’s something you really want to do, don’t put it off. Start with what you have and God will do the rest. After creating The Research Diva–RD, not even a year later, my confidence took the biggest blow. Y’all, knocked it down to ZERO. In all of the conferences and workshops I had attended, no one had prepared me for the hits. Every speaker made them seem like a small hiccup in the process. You know, “It’s just something you have to go through to get to the other side.” And to their credit, I will say, the pain or disappointment isn’t something easy to describe. All I can say is, it hurt! Had me second guessing my dreams and purpose. Didn’t even know if I wanted to remain a dietitian or in research. It was a terrible time for me, but eventually, like everyone else who’d experienced setbacks, I found my way back.
Listen, life is going to happen, and sometimes it will literally knock the life out of you. If or when it happens, please be kind to yourself, and give yourself grace and time to find your way back. Just don’t give up on your dreams. God put them in you for a purpose that’s much greater than yourself.
Well, that’s all for now. Just saw that post and thought I’d share it with you. Listen, don’t wait, make your dreams happen, now!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Make It Happen, Today!
Good Morning!☀️
Whatever you desire, it’s up to YOU to make it happen. Please do not wait for your circumstances to change. Start with what you have. Yes…that little bit. And God will do the rest. I’m telling you what I know to be true, not what I’ve heard.
Last year I shared, “Make it happen.” Two years before, I did just that. Smile. And I continue to do so today.
September 30, 2021
Believe me, God has placed everything you need to get started within your reach. The outcome doesn’t have to be perfect. God will perfect things along the way. All you have to do is initiate the process and He’ll do the rest. No more wasting years waiting—like the man in the Bible sitting by the pool waiting for someone to put him in so he could be healed. No, no more waiting! You need to make it happen, TODAY!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
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