Enough is Enough

Enough is enough. At some point in life, each one of us achieves a point of ‘enough is enough’! This is the point of Zero Tolerance which forces us to take a decision about changing our life. Have you reached that point yet?

I did. A couple of months ago. Up to that point I had very much given up control of my life to external circumstances. I was treating ‘life’ as if it were the ‘master’ and I was its ‘servant’: jumping to address every issue that came my way, regardless of what I was busy with at the moment or what I had planned to do during that time. If this is the state of life you are finding yourself in, listen to me: having what Stephen Covey calls the ‘locus of control’ of your life outside of you, will turn you into the play ball of circumstance. And at the end of it all you will be standing with nothing in your mind except excuses. Excuses, why you’re dead broke. Excuses, why your relationships didn’t work out. Excuses, why you have a terribly flabby and unhealthy body. Excuses, why you’re faced with a mountain of debt. Excuses, why you never learnt to keep time. Excuses, why you never found your destiny nor fulfilled your potential. Like an abused woman that always returns to her abuser, letting ‘life’ or circumstance dictate your response is the surest way of all-round self-destruction.

Becoming aware of this behaviour is especially important for us as women: we are often raised to believe that we are, in fact, the ‘lesser gender’. Our men and our children are always put first. And if we don’t have a man or children, we are often made to believe that we are selfish and as a result respond to this criticism by going over the top in serving others around us. It’s time for all of us women to adopt the mindset of a ‘Reine de la Rose’- a Rose Queen. A ‘Reine de la Rose’ knows her worth, her self-worth. And knows that her time is her greatest asset, to be spent wisely in order to achieve all the various dreams she has decided to follow.

Make a choice to adopt the attitude of a ‘Reine de la Rose’ today: take your power back and make sure that the ‘Locus of Control’ is inside you – not driven by an external force. Choose today to become the ‘master’ of your own life and use life and circumstance as your ‘servant’ towards creating a world of more love, greater beauty and abundance for all.

God has given us humans three critical levers of control with which to steer our lives:

• Choice – our life is a sequence of behavioural choices – actions and consequences. As a Reine de la Rose, you will always have a compass to help guide you in your choices. This compass is a simple question:”Will the choice I make now help to create a world of more love, beauty and abundance or not?” The answer should be your guiding light.

• Attitude – no matter what the circumstance, we can always choose our attitude towards that circumstance. I learnt this far too late in life! While I’ve been generally blessed with a positive attitude and outlook on life, I never realized that I can choose my attitude every morning in the way I choose my outfit for the day – and how, even in the course of the day I can CHOOSE my attitude in how to respond to circumstances or events. I don’t have to have a knee-jerk reaction! The power in this particular choice is incredible.

• Faith – the ability to believe, against all odds, that things will always turn to the better for those who believe in Him. At some point in my life I decided on my position with regard to faith: either I believe there is a God, and then act as if there were one; or I choose to believe that there is none, and then act accordingly. To say that we believe in God, and then act as if He doesn’t exist simpy doesn’t cut it. As a Reine de la Rose you must create a sense of clarity about who you are, what you believe in and what you stand for. There is no space for ambiguity. Doubt, on occasion, is human. But even then, if you want to be a true ‘Queen,’ choose faith.

If we want to change our life, we need to change our behaviour, we need to adopt a positive attitude regardless of circumstance and we need to focus on growing our faith in God.

But then the question is: what do you want to change your life TO?

Usually, it is easier for us to decide what don't we want, than what we do want. Here are some helpful directions to guide you towards what you want.

1. Decide on your ‘Zero Tolerance’ issues: what own behaviours are you no longer willing to accept in your life?

2. Think about choices that you are facing in life at this point in time and test them against the critical question: “Will this choice help me to create a life and contribute to a world of love, beauty and abundance?” Only make choices that will help you to achieve this goal.

3. From today onwards, become aware of your attitude and choose a positive attitude, every day, like you would brush your teeth or apply your moisturizer or make-up (or shave, if you're a guy) every day, without fail.

4. Choose to have Faith – even if you cannot yet see the way or the bigger picture or have no personal vision, have faith that if you ask God everyday He will show it to you clearly, when you’re ready for it!

PS: For those of you who are living in Pretoria and need some 'quiet time' while thinking through these questions, allow yourself a restoring body treatment at the brand new 'Reine de la Rose Eco.Spa' in Muckleneuk on the hill. For more information, visit our website at http://www.reinedelarose.co.za