I have always been very open and transparent here at niecytaylor.com. My hope for this site is that at any moment someone can visit my page and be inspired, find a realness they are able to relate to, and leave better.

So, I have to be open with my readers about some drastic changes I will be making – starting today.  Money and I have an issue. It has been this way my entire life.  We don’t get along, we don’t stick around each other very long, I wouldn’t consider it to be even a distant cousin at this stage of my life.

I have worked with some of the best financial systems and coaches during my short career and when I am following a system – life is so easy.  I feel in control, powerful, I know exactly where my money is going and how much I have left over to spend on fun things.  That is the best feeling ever. During these times – I feel like money and I are close friends. It is here to serve me so that I may serve a greater purpose in the world.

But those moments have been fleeting.  A client is months late in remitting an invoice, my team still needs to be paid, Munchkin’s school, soccer and piano lessons must go on. Mortgages due. Bills due. Before you know – my system is gone – money and I have once again broken up – and I’m left asking – what is this?

I have worked through Coach Lynn Richardson’s – Break the Check to Monday Cycle- coaching program - and the principles are by far my favorite. Her core principle is to schedule your money – 10% – tithes, 10% savings, 30% cash for everything you need to buy, 50% – checking.

When I stick to this system – I am empowered. So today, I am going back to that system.

I’ve also worked through Michelle Singletary’s Financial Fast – and learned many principles there as well.  The one that works so well when I carry it with me is to only use cash for purchases.  The great thing about this is when you log into your online banking – you know exactly what is in there.  If you’re like me – a shopping trip can result in swipe after swipe of my debit card and when I log-in on Tuesday morning to update everything, I’m afraid at what I’ll see because I’ve lost track of how much I swiped on my debit card!

This feeling must go.  I will also be rejoining Coach Lynn’s group coaching calls.

I know I’m not the only one with this relationship with money.  I would like for money and I to remain close friends – all the time – and stop having these terrible breakups.

Share with me your challenges with money and how you are planning to or how you did overcome them? I would love to share this journey with you.

Of service,

God has blessed me with so many simple things this year that make me realize truly how abundant my life is.

1. I am grateful for…..my relationship with God. 2010 was a year of deep consecration – fasting, praying, breakthroughs. 2011 has been a year of living in the flow. I know I am going to be ok because I am the King’s daughter.

2. I am grateful for….my son. I never knew someone could change my life so profoundly and make me more aware of my shortcomings than a 3 year old dynomite.  He makes me better (and I love watching him sleep in his little two piece button-up pjs).

3. I am grateful for…my family. Without this solid foundation I would be nothing! I realize I can’t work for the clients I work for, share Scentsy like I want to, coach the girls in volleyball like I want to, be the kind of mother I want to be, be the kind of woman I want to be without my family. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and grandma ARE my world.

4. I am grateful for….my soon to be ex-husband. Finally. I am grateful for his role in my life. Without the time he spent as a major part of my life I wouldn’t have my amazing son, I wouldn’t be the confident woman I am today, I wouldn’t be the amazing mother I am today, I wouldn’t know that with God I can overcome ANYTHING, I would still be settling for love instead of waiting patiently for the love God is preparing for me, I wouldn’t know how important forgiveness is and that if you want to be free – you must forgive.  His role was so important in shaping who Niecy is today.

5. I am grateful for….my family in love. Every emotion, every trial that I have gone through these past 2 years, they have felt. I praise God that family is not defined in legal terms but simply by love.

6. I am grateful for….my friends. While I don’t have many – I have a group of friends that are solid. We don’t talk every day, every week, sometimes not even every month, but when we get back together – it’s like we never missed a day.

7. I am grateful for….love. Standing in pure love where 5 years can turn in to 1 day. No expectations, no idea of what the future will bring. Just knowing that there is love and love is all that matters.

8. I am grateful for….vision.  God placed in my heart early in my career that He was calling me to be an entrepreneur.  Through my businesses He has brought the most amazing people, opportunities and experiences into my life. The CommunityChange Group, LLC is my world changer, Scentsy is my abundance.

9. I am grateful for…new experiences. In 2010 I started coaching a Club volleyball team of 15 and 16 year olds.  Now in my second season I realize God has given me an opportunity to work with young women which is so close to my heart, and use something I am good at, volleyball, to give them lessons in sports and life.

10. I am grateful for life. Period. When someone asks me what I do…I tell them…I live. Fully. Wholly. Abundantly.

I am grateful for you,

I have heard some good preaching in my life.  When I lived in Baltimore, I joined one of the best churches I have ever experienced and sat under the teaching of some spiritual giants.  Bishop Walter Thomas and his ministerial staff are anointed, talented and equipped by God to save souls.

There is something about being under good teaching.  However, I have to admit, for many years I’ve used church to get spiritually high, feeling really good while there, but once I’ve left seeing no real changes in my life and feeling ‘hungover’ the next day.

This year, I tuned in to the Woman Thou Art Loosed conference because I noticed people talking about it on my Twitter stream. Thursday night I missed most of Bishop Jakes’ message because I had an event, but Friday I spent all day waiting to here Pastor Paula White’s word.  The week leading into this conference had been a hell week for me if I must say so myself.  My husband, who I have been separated from for 2 years, decided early in the week he wanted to move here to be with his family, and then two days later I woke at 5 am to a text from him saying he wanted the divorce.  The emotional roller coaster was wearing me down – and even harder to deal with his wavering to and fro -  I couldn’t imagine why my prayers were going unanswered.

Lord, Your will. Your will was all I had been praying this week.  Friday, I took off of work and really just had an expectant heart.  My spirit was praying for a word that didn’t leave me feeling hungover on Saturday morning.  I wanted a word that changed the way I saw my current situation.  That made what I was going through ok.

God does answer prayers.  During praise and worship, Israel started a chant that said “expectation is the breeding ground for miracles”.  Well I sure was expectant….and I sure am ready for my miracle.

Praise God for Pastor Paula White.  From the moment she picked the microphone up I could feel her anointing and that she was prayed up for such a time as this. The power, the glory that surrounded her.  My God.  There were so many amazing things that came from her mouth – straight from God’s heart.  Her testimony. Her overcoming.  But here’s the biggest lesson I learned:

When God has an anointing on your life, you are going to have to go through some things.  This past week I had gotten swallowed in my haste for why God hadn’t answered my prayers concerning my marriage.  I had literally begun to allow it to make me sick.  Listening to Pastor Paula on Friday evening spoke deeply to my spirit that all this I’m going through, the reason I’ve had to face such a tremendous rejection, the reason why it continues to hurt, is because God is calling me higher. He’s calling me to get in His flow and above all else, He’s calling me to know – “I’m saved for real – because some people I should’ve jacked up”.

I have been listening to Pastor Paula preach for years, but there’s something about her now after she’s gone through her recent trials that she shared on Friday night. She’s more confident, bold, straight forward about who she is. I honor that.  Her presence spoke so much louder than any of the words she spoke, because I can literally see the new work God has done in her.  Huge lesson for me. What good does it do for me to say I’m doing ok, to say I’ve moved on, to say I trust God – if you can’t see what He has done in me.

Talk about swagger.  This ladies got it.

Saturday I woke up and instead of feeling hungover like I normally do after such a powerful word, I felt like I was falling in God’s flow.  I was still so super excited about Friday night’s word, and then I checked my Twitter and saw we were ready to go again!  Pastor Sheryl Brady – Lord – you know I love her.  Her realness, her ability to give you a Word that comes straight from our Father’s heart, and her amazing ability to do it and have you feeling like you’re sitting at the table with your girlfriend.

Talk about swag. This woman of God is so bad – there were times I was sitting here just laughing like “go on Sheryl”.  Her message was powerful. The Word delivered righteously.  But my God, the lesson learned – life changing.

Life is going to switch up on us. That’s just the way it is. The picture perfect family I hoped for may not be God’s will for me.  Pastor Brady loosed me from feeling bad about this right now and stretched me to walk as the bad woman I see myself as.  To be the kind of woman who can walk in a room & change the atmosphere without even opening my mouth!

These two women are powerhouses in the Kingdom of God.  If you’re going through small trials – ask God what He has in store for you.  Small trials produce small blessings. If you want more – ask God to take you there.

It’s a new day. Old things have passed. I’ve given them their proper burial and I’m so excited about it.

Day 10′s post did something to me.  Here I am thinking I have something to share with you on forgiveness, and in the middle of my teaching God stopped me dead in my tracks. I’m living, I’m breathing, I have a heart full of forgiveness and Lord knows I’ve learned many lessons in patience and faith over the last two years.  I am so very grateful that my feet are off the ground.

What I didn’t tell you is that two years ago my husband and I separated and I packed my then 16 month old son and myself up and moved back home to New Mexico – creating a 2,000 mile distance and void between my husband and my son.

Life hasn’t been all peachy keen.  I’ve been fighting to forgive. Fighting to get free.  But I have to be totally transparent – the closer I get to God the more this idea of divorce grieves me.  I know divorce grieves God and so I am grieving right now.

So I truly believe God has stopped me right in my tracks.  I pray you can forgive me.  I pray that the first 10 days were a major blessing to you.  God has some more work to do on me in this season – and I can’t miss it.  So I will be back at a later date and time to share more on forgiveness. At this time – I must be still and listen.

I forgive,

I received this message in my inbox, and although it does not specifically mention forgiveness, I thought it was an invaluable lesson that would help to put things in perspective while we are on this journey together.

My Feet Are Off The Ground’

From Tyler Perry: Writer and Actor

This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I’m dealing with in trying to get this studio open.

I was about to open my mouth & start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me a year ago.

I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I’m ashamed to say this but I thought, ‘I don’t feel like being hustled today.’ Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen.

As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, ‘Here goes the sales pitch’. She said ‘Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?’ My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second.

I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, ‘My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ‘ ground! Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was crying. But I never forgot those words. ‘My feet are off the ground!’ I thought, ‘Wow! All she wanted was some shoes.’ She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighbourhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter.. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, ‘He just did

Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her.

This past summer I was shooting ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn’t recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life.

She was in a house now and doing very well. I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, ‘My feet are off the ground!’

I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when I say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it.

We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you every day. Thank you for being in my life.

~Tyler Perry

I have forever been troubled by the idea that the death penalty in our country brings a sense of “closure” to the victim’s family.  The death of another person in no way can change the issue within someone’s heart. Forgiveness is an inside job.

Today, focus on the inside.  Search yourself for areas where unforgiveness towards yourself and others may be.  Practice forgiving, continually throughout the day.  Start with yourself. Forgive yourself.  Then, move to the next area you may find any unforgiveness.  Really search yourself. Sometimes unforgiveness comes disguised as judgement, bitterness, lack of interest.

Focus on the inside,

I forgive,

Today’s lesson is the simplest of them all – and it comes from a Course in Miracles.

“Forgiveness is the key to happiness.”

Want happiness? Forgive.

I forgive,

Many times – the hardest person to forgive is yourself.  You had an idea of how things in your life would turn out, and when life threw you a curveball, you blamed yourself.  The love reflected in your life is not the love you think you deserve, your current situation is not what you imagined for yourself.  Whatever your issue is with you – let’s get to the bottom of it.

The greatest thing you can do is forgive yourself.  You may not even be conscious of the unforgiveness you may hold towards yourself.  Today – stand in the mirror and give yourself love and adoration.  Say – “I forgive you, I love you, You are beautiful. I forgive you. I love you, You are beautiful.” Thank yourself for being you – for your good times, your bad times. For every single part of you – forgive yourself from the inside out.  Be good to yourself today.

I forgive,

You are praying, you are shining light and you may not even realize it – but your heart is being opened.  Keep praying. Keep shining your light.

One of the things I experienced as I began to change the way I looked at my situation, was that the more my heart opened, the more vulnerable I felt to being hurt again.  The fear of giving that person the power to hurt me again kept me in a constant cycle of praying, shining light, opening my heart, closing my heart, unforgiveness.  Praying, shining light, opening my heart, closing my heart, unforgiveness.

The root of my unforgiveness was simple – I felt if I opened my heart and truly forgave the person – I would be letting them off the hook for their mistakes. Instead – all I was doing was keeping myself on the hook and causing great pain in my life.

Today, realize that God is bigger than their mistake.  There is nothing too big for our God.  Whatever they took from you – God will give back to you tenfold. Our God is Bigger. Our God is Bigger.

I forgive,