 Just a disclaimer, this video is not really intended for those of you who are suffering from depression or any other type of mental illness. I am fully aware that you just cannot get up and choose your happiness. It doesn't work that way. If that was the case, there wouldn't be any type of depression, right? But I do pray for those of you who are suffering and I also pray that you will seek help, get the comfort and support that you need. Look, I am so unprepared for this. This is something that was just last minute that I felt like it was on my heart. I'm being obedient, you guys. It's one of my things that I really am aiming for this year is whenever I feel a little whispering over here and we know what that is, a little nudge to do something, I'm doing it and I'm doing it as soon as I can because the late response is still disobedient because now you're twanging on whether or not, whether or not I should do it. So anyway, what's going through jotting down my ideas for my series that I am coming up presenting for you guys this year. The purpose series is coming in March. Like I have all my ideas down. While I was working on the woman to woman idea, I mean, I came up with a good eight to 10 different video ideas for that particular series and towards the end, you know, I'm like, great, I'm almost done, got everything down and then all of a sudden I get, you know, the notion of happiness, happiness, happiness, don't wait, don't wait to be happy. So I'm like, okay, great, let me write this down. This could be an idea for my series, either purpose or woman to woman because it kind of goes in between both, I think. And sure enough, I got a little nudge, little nudge. So I'm just gonna come on real quick because I feel like this is somewhat, since there's this is an urgency, I feel like to get this out there. I feel like this is for a couple of you guys actually. And it's not just one person, a couple of you guys need to hear this. So when it comes to happiness in general, don't get it twisted. This year, I'm all about walking into my purpose and finding my purpose, but I am happy. Walking into and finding my purpose is not gonna secure my happiness. One thing that we need to get out the way right now is that, yes, happiness is a mindset, a mindset, excuse me, but it's an awareness of a mindset in the now. All too often you have people who think that once I find that husband, once I get that job, once I make more money, once I, let's break it down to little level. Once I clean up my house, once I get these kids out to school, I'm gonna be happy. You cannot go throughout life with that type of mindset. I'm gonna tell you two stories in the midst of all this. You have to learn to be happy in the now, present and happy right now. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. You guys, last year, and I looked this up because I wanted to see how many people died. Nearly three million people died. And if you made it today, you better be grateful and be happy right now in the now. I mean, there are people who are literally dying as I'm recording this video. And you worried about being happy when you get that job. Hell, when you get paid, look, I praise the Heavenly Father every day when I wake up and breathe life. Now, yes, every now and then, I'm gonna have my bad days. You guys know I have anxiety. I have, you know, I'm not always, I'm not always in a good mood, hell. But I have learned to not have this notion of when I get this, when I become this, is when I'm gonna be happy. I have learned to find joy in the simplest of things and to humble myself and be happy right now. So two quick stories I'm gonna tell you, excuse me, because I just wanted to get that out of the way and I think that's gonna be for someone. And I'm gonna share a scripture here at the bottom in James. Two stories. A personal story and just one that happened with my husband. So the personal story, let's get that out of the way. So when I had JB and you guys, I had no help. No help. First time mom, my mother was here for two weeks and then she shipped off to Texas. My husband worked second shift in the hospital and it was literally me with a newborn baby, two weeks fresh smelling like angels and fairy dust. I was overwhelmed for like a bit of worse. None of the, I know that there are those of you who are currently going through that, who have gone through that, you've experienced that, you get it. I was having problems adjusting. It was really bad, I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating, I was breastfeeding. He needed to eat, but that was draining me. That was draining me, draining me. My baby wasn't, JB was not sleeping. He was like, forget your sleep. I'm not sleeping either. So I'm around eight months old. I think he was around eight months old. I was sitting on the bed and I think I've told this story before in one of my rocking sessions. We would do like 15, 20 minute rocking sessions. My back was hurting. I had on a shirt that had spit up. It was baby food on it. My hair was matted up. Just a hot mess. I was hungry and had forgot I was hungry. And I think I had started crying. I started crying. And then I looked down at my baby because oh, this is what I had. I told myself, I said, I cannot wait for you to sleep through the night so that I could finally get some peace. Peace goes in hands with happiness. So a certain degree in my opinion. So I could finally get some peace and be a little happy. Please sleep through the night so I can get some peace and be happy. But then a little whisper said, you have life. You suffered a loss and was told that you could possibly not have children. You're looking at America. I don't know those you probably don't know. I had a miscarriage like literally four months before I had JB, before I got pregnant, excuse me, with JB. Of course, you're supposed to wait at least six months. That didn't happen, girl. So I got pregnant. I was going through pain and I had suffered a miscarriage. So I was double high risk that couldn't figure out where the pain was coming from. Thank God that went away, of course, into 12 weeks into the pregnancy. But my point is, is that I was not supposed to have my baby. And here I am, eight months with my baby, saying, oh, I can't wait for your ass to sleep through. Saying that, you know, I'm sorry, I'm keeping it real. I can't wait for you to sleep through the night so I can finally get some peace to be happy with. I need to be happy that I have a healthy eight month old. But so from then on, I'm telling y'all, I have learned to be happy in the now and to appreciate what I have right now. And then, cause I don't have to have any of this. And you don't either. Second story real quick. My husband worked with a woman who, I don't know how long he worked with her, but she was a nice woman, extrovert, social butterfly at the hospital. She was literally a couple of either weeks or days before her retirement. So she was trying to get everything ready, working, working, working. And pretty my husband, that's all she was talking about. I can't wait till I retire. I'm gonna go do this, do this, do that, do this. You know, just getting everything, just getting excited that she's gonna, you know, gonna finally have time for herself and live life, right? That woman did not make it home. She went home and on her way home, she got hit by a bus. When he told me that I was like, are you serious? And again, he emphasized that that's all she talked about was retiring and being able, you know, to finally have time for herself. But he said that she was working like crazy hours. She was working double shifts for extra money, I guess. She was doing all of this. So yes, you guys, that's another thing too. Don't get caught up in, don't get caught up in work and forget to live. I've heard that before, I've heard that before. Don't get caught up in the day to day stuff and forget to actually live. Do not get caught up in that, y'all. Let me tell you something. I've also learned to not get caught up in worldly stuff and not waste my time. Not wasting any more time, not doing any of that. But yes, I wanted to get this, I want to record this real quick. I know it's all over the place, but I feel like one of you, some of you needed to hear this. Not one, some of you help us need to hear this. That don't wait to be happy. Find the smallest things to be happy now. And I get it, y'all. Some days, let me tell you something. When you suffer with pain or multiple stuff, overall I'm healthy, but I have my issues, girl. So every now and then, not every now and then, I could go weeks with something that's going on. You know, I'm either, I'm sick, JV sick. And I'm like, I don't even know when the last time I felt normal. But then I let that thought completely get out my mind because I'm like, I'm alive. I have a roof over my head. Just the simplest thing, y'all. Cause let me say, you can find, I guarantee you, I can find 10 people that have it worse off than you. So anyway, let me wrap it up. Be present in the now, be happy in the now, be grateful for what you have because you, frankly, you don't have to have it. You're living here on borrowed time as it is. We really all are here on borrowed time. But yeah, you guys, I felt like I needed to get that out there. God bless y'all. Take care. Bye.