Hey Hey! You are tuned in to the first Episode of Timeout!
Today I’m talking about Daily Devotionals. As a woman who decided to take a Timeout from the constant chaos, and the daily duties of life in order to focus more on things that add peace, joy & delight to my existence, please accept this as your personal invitation to join me in my quest.
I hope you will listen in and gain inspiration on how to jazz up your reflective time.
When you’re finished, leave me a comment and let me know if this Episode has been helpful for you.
Best selling author Valorie Burton unlocks the secret to your personal happiness. She reveals 13 happiness triggers – choices that can boost your joy right now, even in the midst of deadlines, dating, marriage, parenting and squeezing in a workout or girls night out. Throught these happiness triggers, you will learn how to bounce back from stress and adversity faster, enjoy deeper satisfaction in your marriage and friendships, maximize career opportunities and increase your income and fight off illness. We’re kicking things off on March 1st.
When the Call to Action went out to support a sister in the midst of her journey with breast cancer, I felt compelled to respond. It’s not everyday that the opportunity arises to offer support on a personal basis.
Being a breast cancer survivor who’s currently in her 5th year of survival, I understand that everyday choices are a huge part of the recovery process. I decided to gift this beautiful sister with the Planter pictured above in hopes that it would help to boost her mood during these trying times and also add a little peace to her space.
I remember the fear and uncertainty that I felt during my journey, but I also remember the love and acts of kindness that were shown to me during that time. I remember the visits, phone calls and texts. I remember the Banana Pudding Cake from my Sister in Law Lanita and I remember the beautiful Orchid from my Nephew Nicholas.
My hope is that my simple act of kindness will also be remembered as a simple act of love.💖
To this Sister I pray for Peace and Total Healing. ✨
Today I am highlighting several of the Black Owned Businesses that I’ve worked with this year, to bring more attention to the innovation and creativity of black people. Black people inspire, design and exude greatness each and everyday, but our genius is often overlooked. I invite you to learn more about the following companies and support them if you can.
In February of this year, I had the pleasure of setting up Mike Sells Everything, LLC (MSE), which is a Variety Store located in Kannapolis, NC. The owner, Michael Rivers is passionate about helping his community find quality merchandise at affordable prices. At this very moment you can find a Violin ready for purchase as well as Small Appliances and Toys for the kids. Mike believes in doing right by people and does his absolute best to accommodate everyone. Today’s special at MSE is the Crockpot pictured below. The original price is $79.99 but today’s price is $25.00. If you’re located near Kannapolis, NC, stop by MSE at 1905 N. Cannon Blvd. Kannapolis, NC 28083 and grab you one.
Kyla Rivers, owner of K.Beauty, LLC has scaled and expanded her business into a beauty empire. Kyla started creating makeup at the age of 16 and has added Skincare and Bath and Beauty products to her offerings. Kyla is passionate about being successful and helping other young adults find their passion and launch businesses they love! Shop K.Beauty. LLC!
Lanita is the owner of Styles by Lanita which is a Hair & Clothing Boutique. Lanita can style you from head to toe and she offers custom T-shirts and Apparel. For Blackout Tuesday 2020, Lanita is offering $15.00 Roller Sets and Blowouts and $10.00 Boss Racerback Tanks
Steve Bailey started his business in April of this year and he is your go to guy for all of your hauling and landscaping needs. Head over to Steve’s website, he’s open for business!
Other business that I am currently working with include BBZ Lawncare and Maintenance, The Nina Symone Collection and The Glamm Cartel. Be on the lookout for these names coming soon!
I am Melissa Rivers, and I am the Owner & Creative Peace Designer at Origins of Peace, LLC. I use my passion for conflict resolution to help individuals over life challenges and design their next life chapter by starting businesses, adding income streams, expanding career paths, bouncing back after divorce and much more. My passion derives from my own challenges of cancer, job loss and divorce all within a six month time period. I love to encourage others and support them in their journey forward.
I pray that everyone is well. It’s been a while since my last check-in, so I wanted to stop in and make sure you’re good. This memo is to inform you that we are officially operating in an online capacity only. With all that is going on with COVID-19, it’s important that we mitigate the risk of exposure and move to online engagement.
Effective immediately, I’ve moved to a strictly online operation. For my personal development clients that I meet with several times a month to work on action plans and develop strategies for various life goals. I am now taking those calls using Zoom and other resources that are available.
For my professional development clients who are starting new businesses, working on their Resume’s and acquiring new skills for a new career. Our meetings are also taking place online utilizing Microsoft Teams to collaborate on ideas and develop Roadmaps to Success.
By changing my method of operation, I am able to assist while being safe. Right now, the safest place for any of us is Home. I ask that you do your part as much as possible to keep yourself and those you love protected. With that being said, I am still accepting new clients. If you have the desire to get started on a new personal or professional journey, let’s create your Peace Map!
One of my top 5 Strengths from Strengths Finder is Connectedness. This means I am certain that things happen for a reason.
It all started in April when @Shermikathelight posted on Instagram about an event that she would be speaking at in October. From that point forward I knew I had to be in attendance. Shermika and I were classmates in Grad. School. We both had aspirations of starting our own businesses after graduation. I watched on social media as Shermika started her company, going door to door marketing her business. I also had a social media front row seat when things took off for her. I watched in amazement as she nurtured her business into a powerful brand. I knew that in order to successfully and intentionally grow my business on my terms, I needed to gain some knowledge and insight from her. I did just that!
Just over a week ago, I jumped on a flight to Atlanta and I attended #werkprayslay. It was absolutely everything that I’ve never imagined. I mean never, ever. This Women’s Empowerment Conference was one for the books. The colors, the lighting, the details, the information, the vendors, the volunteers, the attendees, the speakers, the hostess, the D.J. and the fabulous visionary @Koereyelle made this a life changing event for me. Before I attended, I had no idea that this beautiful community of women business owners existed.
I have a solid plan for my business now. No more taking bits and pieces of information and trying to figure out how it all ties together. Some of the strategies discussed were, how to land Corporate and Government Contracts, how to Slay Procrastination, how to Change Your Mindset and Secure the Bag, how to Be Your Own Publicist, how to use Video to Slay Your Personal Brand, and so much more! I’m telling you, this ain’t even half of it.
As I said in my previous post, I had a chance to thank @ChefAhki for positively impacting my life after a cancer diagnosis. You can find that post by clicking here.
I can safely bet that I was one of the older women at the conference, but I didn’t feel left out. @Koereyelle and her team did a phenomenal job of making it a safe space to learn and be vulnerable. I even swagged and surfed for the first time ever! (that wasn’t a thing when I attended an HBCU)
Why am I telling you all of this??? Because it matters who you are connected to. My connection with @Shermikiathelight through social media exposed me to a whole new world of confident, brilliant and paid Sistas who are out here doing their thang! It matters who you follow and who you’re connected to.
If you are a female business owner, I highly recommend the @WerkPraySlay Conference. I’m sure planning has already begun for 2020. You definitely don’t want to miss it. I know that I won’t miss it!
One of the top traits of a person with Connectedness as a Strength is having confidence in their gifts, but knowing they do not have all the answers. As a reward for my humility, God made room for me in a place that I didn’t even know existed, and it is a place of overflowing resources!🤲🏾
I won a free Website Copy Audit by Word Stylitz to amplify the impact that I have on my ideal client. April Beverley of @baabwriting will definitely get me all the way together.🙌🏾This brilliant lady is out here commanding coins with the power of her words.
If you are a female business owner looking to connect with a like-minded Sista on the move, email me. I would love to join forces and hold one another accountable to do the #werk!
Do you Journal? If not, what’s holding you back and if you do, what keeps you going?
A lot of people journal to release emotion and organize their feelings. To be honest, we’re all out here experiencing about 27 emotions daily. That is quite a ride and it’s tough to manage it all. So, what we’re doing is taking the emotion adding to it our daily responsibilities plus the needs and expectations from others and then attempting to get through the day without a method to release. This is the perfect formula for a mental breakdown.
I get it, we want to appear like we have our stuff together with little resistance, add to that this whole self-care trend of “don’t kill my vibe, “don’t interrupt my peace” and “don’t bother me with that”, this leaves us feeling obligated to hold in our emotions.
I’ve found journaling to be a helpful outlet. During those times when I am overflowing with emotions, both positive and negative, journaling helps me to reflect on events, organize my thoughts, release some pinned up energy and even generate solutions. It’s one of the many tools that can be used to re-direct your energy.
There’s another benefit of journaling that very few people notice. Journaling helps you to identify trends. If you journal often and notice a trend of negative or low-energy words and phrases, it’s safe to say you are probably suffering with Imposter Syndrome, self-sabotage and maybe even low self-esteem. If this is you, it’s time for a change in perspective.
I deal with those feelings too. I doubt my abilities, second guess my capabilities and I will overthink a scenario to the very extreme. It’s quite exhausting but I’ve figured out how to manage those feelings.
If you’ve been a member of the Origins of Peace community for any amount of time, you know that our #1 goal is to empower you to get out here and Impress Yourself. There are two reasons why this is important:
If you don’t impress yourself, no one else will ever stand a chance of impressing you. This is important for business deals, relationships, money goals, all of that. You must set a standard and stick to it. Example, if you want to be in a loving relationship, you must first love yourself. Impress yourself by doing things you enjoy and going to places that make you happy. This produces impression and excitement. It’s mentally stimulating, and it gets you into the habit of Impressing Yourself so that you will know when others are meeting and exceeding your expectations!
A whole lot of time is spent impressing other folks. You impress your boss when you show up for work and do an exceptional job, you impress your kids by showing up for them daily. It’s time to Impress Yourself!
For the month of November, I am challenging you to use journaling as a tool to change your communication message to yourself! There are 30 days in November. I am giving you 1 word each day to use as a prompt. You will reflect on how the word shows up in your life on that day and compose a journal entry. Your entry can be written or a short video that you keep on your phone. The words that I provide to you should evoke feelings of happiness, bravery, calmness, rejuvenation and friendliness.
I would love to know how this challenge goes for you. You can find me on both IG and Facebook at Origins of Peace to get the word for the day.
You can leave a comment one either platform to get the dialogue started.
Oh yea, if you’re not on my email list, you should be. Our next gratitude offering winner will be announced on Monday, November 4th. You must be on the list to get included in the drawing! Visit www.melissaarivers.com to sign up. You can see the prize for Monday’s drawing on my IG page.
Good Morning PeaceMakers. I pray that today holds all the peace, love and acceptance that your heart can hold.
If this is your first time on my site, My name is Melissa Rivers and I am a Creative Peace Designer. That means I use my gifts of creative writing & teaching to help others manage conflict and create mental space for more peaceful opportunities in their lives. My motto for today is: “peace starts with a made up mind.”
So let’s get to it:
My intent for this post – I’m writing this morning at 4:30 am because writing/ journaling settles my mind and helps me to organize my thoughts. I guess you could say that I am at peace when I create a short narrative, or inspirational message. Writing is one of my Origins of Peace and my place to breathe. It’s important for each of us to find what helps us breathe deeper and a little easier. The sweet aroma of creativity helps us not to take ourselves so seriously and as adults that can be hard to do.
What’s important for you to know: You gotta breathe. Close your eyes and visualize those activities that you participated in as a kid. Did you dance, sing or take piano lessons. Maybe it was art class or violin practice. Whatever it was, did it provide a few minutes of relief and escape for you? Along with writing, I absolutely loved ballet & gymnastics class. I can remember practicing my back-flip and no-hand cartwheels for hours on end. I’ve never really been great at ballet, but I can remember putting on my pink ballet slippers for the first time along with my white tights and black leotard. I was free to be me.
What matters: You were created to be serious and carefree at the same time. Life will impose it constraints and restrictions upon you but you cannot let that stop your creativity. Your foundational purpose is found in the weeds of your place to breathe and your responsibilities. Intentionally show up for yourself each day in a creative way. If not, you’ll get lost and be afraid of who you truly are. You have too much goodness, purity and creativity to be anyone other than yourself. Show up for you & breathe.
I offer a session called Peace Mapping where I help you identify areas of conflict in your life and design a strategy that helps you to make different choices and create mental space for a more peaceful lifestyle. I would love to help you find your place to breathe.
To book a session, simply click here to get started.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
A Facebook Friend posted a simple cookie recipe and I couldn’t wait to make my own personal version of it.
