Business Success 101

April 15, 2013

Hello Everyone:

I haven't posted a blog post in a while because I am on the road with my 15 statewide humanitarian tour.  I named this blog post "Business Success 101."

What are you willing to do to become a successful business owner? Would you travel across the country and tell your customers and clients that you have a product or service that can potentially be life-changing for them? Or will you simply sit back and try to build a local audience that you have outgrown and that no longer value what you have to offer?

When I decided to take my business on the road on Jan. 2, 2013, I knew upfront that my Empowerment Company, Angels Press, had the potential to deliver 'life-altering' information to those who need it the most. After all -- I had spent years building the business so now my only goal was to deliver.

Everyone asked me why would you get on the road in the dead of winter and travel up north to do something that you could have done in the south? My response was"you can never wait for the perfect conditions in your life -- to change your life." 

At some point, you need to get out of your comfort zone and step out on your faith especially if you are trying to build a successful business.

Being successful as a business owner means one thing - 'passion.' Being passionate about your business and especially your customers and clients is what will propel you into business success.  

Business success is about making money - that's clear and simple. If you are not making money as a business owner, then you are simply building a 'hobby' - not a business.

To launch and build a successful business, I realized early on that you needed to be dedicated and committed. You also need to be a self-starter, have a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, have self-discipline and will power. However, just because you don't have those characteristics doesn't mean you won't obtain them as you move forward and build your business.

Remember as you have heard from some of the great speakers in the past, "You don't have to be great to get started - but you have to get started to be great." Have you started your dream yet? What are you waiting on?

More than anything to be successful as a business owner, you need to have a 'vision.' Before anything can happen in your business life, you first need to have a vision of things to come.  

To visualize your dream of being a successful business owner, will require that you engage in daily meditations and seriously explore from the inside out what is happening in your personal and business life. 

It also requires that you live a balanced life. That's not always easy because most people are overwhelmed with life -- so balance will be the key to bringing business success into your life. No business owner becomes successful overnight so the goal is to pace yourself and stay focused.  Keep your eyes on the prize.

Keep visualizing your dream, stay balanced and set goals. The goal is to set 30 day, 60 day, 90 day, 6 months, 1 year and 5 year goals around your health, your finances, your business and career.  Put yourself first in whatever you do while you take care of your family and others that you deeply care for. Your motto should be "Self, Family, and Community."

As a business owner, once you make your customers and clients successful, you too in the process will become successful. Being successful means different things to different people so don't let anyone define success for you - define it for yourself!

At the end of the day it all boils down to what are you willing to do to become a successful business owner?  It's all about bringing joy and happiness into your life while you live a balanced and fulfilled life. Good luck! 

Transformation 101 - “Out With the Old and In With the New”

Happy New Year everyone and I hope 2013 truly brings you and yours the happiness and joy that you so deserve.  Well we are still here and the world did not end on December 21, 2012, as many had predicted.  Instead, we have entered a new era in our existence -- a new beginning – a  renewed enlightenment and spiritual awakening.  

We have entered a time of peace and harmony, hope and change, love and understanding and a time of desire and ability to take back what has been taken from us. . . our dignity as human beings.  We will no longer be subjected to tyrannical governments and human degradation. 

We will stand as one against evil and injustice and pursue our right to exist in a free and just world.  The time has come.  The time is now!  The scales have tilted and the power is now with the people.  

First of all we need to make New Year Resolutions and set personal goals in our lives. Setting goals are what motivates people into action.  One of your main goals should be to obtain regular physical activities.  Remember your body is meant to stay in motion.  

It’s estimated by many experts that this will be the first generation that “WILL NOT” outlive their parents.  The main reason is genetically modified foods which have no nutritional value and leading a sedentary (sitting posture) lifestyle. 

A sedentary lifestyle or “the couch potato lifestyle” has contributed to over 200,000 PREVENTABLE deaths a year. The leading causes of death for people with heart disease, cancer, stroke, kidney disease, liver disease, and diabetes are most strongly influenced by lifestyle.

People who get regular exercise are healthier -- mentally as well as physically and spiritually, than people who don’t! They live longer! They’re happier! Their brains even work better!

The more fit you are, the longer you are likely to live.  Being fit usually means you engage in some type of “cardio” or “cardiovascular” exercise.  Cardiovascular exercises are any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up and keep it up for at least 30 minutes or more. 

Everyone should be engaged in some type of cardiovascular exercise (fast or power walking, running, aerobics, swimming, bicycling/spinning, etc.) at least 3, 4 or 5 days a week for 30 to 45 minutes or more. 

We all remember seeing Tom Hanks, in “Forest Gump” taking those long strides as he ran across the country and making that famous line “I was just running.”  All it took was receiving a pair of tennis shoes from his mother and having nothing else on his schedule to become a runner.  He wasn’t running for “World Peace” –he was just running.

Like Hanks in the movie, running to me always meant not just clearing my mind but releasing my inner-soul.  As I look back on what has happened in my life this year, despite making great headways in my business by completing 18 empowerment books at http://www.AngelsPress.com - which can be read by 12 year olds and above, my greatest personal accomplishment, however, has to be the fact that I started back running again. 

After years of participating in cycling and fast walking at the gym and outdoors, I had so desired to become a runner again and this year I made it happen!  I transformed my body from being a “walker” into being a “runner” again.  Wow, what an accomplishment! 

You see I had been a long distance runner early on in my life.  As a long distance runner, even when I was in the military, I usually came in fourth or fifth even when running and training alongside of men.  Running always brought me pleasure and I guess you can say at this point in my life, I have the same mindset and feeling of accomplishment, pride and joy that I had at that point in my life when I was running.

Because I live a natural and holistic life, my brain has never worked better.  But my transformation was not overnight.  For the past 4 years, I used my own body as a “guinea pig” to see what worked and what did not work.  Sometimes the things that did not work landed me on medications or caused my numbers to be out of range -- but still I was able to figure out “how the human body actually works” -- and how to reach your highest level of health. 

 

The end result has been a complete transformation of my mind, body and spirit.  The good news is that “Y-O-U” don’t have to wait 4 years to transform your life, but you do need to understand it will not be an overnight transformation! 

My empowerment company, Angels Press, (www.AngelsPress.com) is available and offers a line of empowerment products and services that can help anyone get back into the driver’s seat and transform their lives in regards to their family life, business and career. 

My business covers topics such as family empowerment, community relations, health, business, writing/publishing, workplace discrimination, whistleblowing, domestic and international traveling, law enforcement, politics, car buying, selling and maintenance.  Make your motto in 2013 “Excuses Begone.”

Getting back to doing something that you love can truly be a rewarding and exciting time for anyone in their lives.  For me it took wearing the right type of shoes and clothing to get that motivation going again.  Many people who work out or who try to engage in working out -- don’t understand how the right type of equipment can make all the difference in the world. 

For instance, if you will be engaging in running, then you need to buy running shoes; aerobics - aerobic shoes; spinning - then spinning shoes - not shoes for other sports.  You also need to wear clothing and other equipment that will excite you everytime you step outside of your home.

If something as small as engaging in an old activity (or even a new activity) can excite you – like it did me -- then what are you waiting on?  It is never too late to set goals and do the things that you truly love and can appreciate.  Everyone has something that brought them to a certain place in their lives and brought about a certain amount of fulfillment and joy – like running have for me. 

So keep moving -- but be excited about your life!  The goal is everyday that you get out of bed, move into the direction of your dreams by doing whatever brings excitement and joy into your life. Be grateful that you woke up and that you were able to spring out of bed --because eventually it won’t be so easy especially in the third or fourth stage of your life. 

So don’t forget to stop now and “spell the roses” while you squeeze every ounce of joy and happiness out of your life!  

 

CathyHarrisSpeaks.com -- Don’t forget to live, love, and enjoy! 

It's All About Balance

 

 

October 1, 2012

Hello Everyone:

I grew up reading my horoscope and somehow felt what was written was somehow connected to what was really happening in this universe. As I got older and wiser in my life -- more things just made sense. Most of my co-workers and friends use to tell me that I should have been a lawyer -- I guess because I knew how to challenge my superiors and still remain on the job.

Others told me I should have been a writer because most of the ways that I challenged my superiors were in writing. As most of you know I am a writer and at this point in my life -- I don't have any desire to become an attorney.

My birth sign is a Libra and my birthday is on October 6. People born between September 23 -October 22 are called 'Libra' Individuals. The Zodiac Sign of Libra is the only zodiac sign represented by a non-animated object, a scale. Most other Zodiac signs are represented by either humans or animals.

There is probably a good reason why a picture of a law scale looks exactly like a 'Libra' scale. It makes me believe that there is a connection to what my life has been about and who I really am.

Libras are born during a time when summer is ending and it is time for harvest. This time of the year is considered quite calm and brings balance between the season. This balance plays an important role in the character development of the Libra individual.

Balance is something that is often mentioned in personal development and well-being circles. It is said you should eat a balanced diet, live a balanced life and seek a good work/family balance. But what truly is balance?

Balance to me has always been about setting and accomplishing personal and business goals. We all start out the New Year setting goals but for many those goals are never completed. These days everyone is overwhelmed with their lives but there is more to life than just the daily grind. It is all about balance! 

Today's hectic lifestyles can be a challenge and can leave a person feeling depleted and stressed out --and the last thing you need is a guilt trip!  Most have responsibilities to their families, their workplace or schools, their kid's sports, social activities or their communities.

I did one of the hardest things of my life over the past few weeks.  I completed two --not one --but two books on "workplace discrimination" -- "Discrimination 101: The Complete Guide to Recognizing and Surving Discrimination in the Workplace" (Volume I and Volume II).

 

I had seriously worked on the books over the last month but had been pecking away at the books for over 10 years. For some reasons the books were extremely hard to write but after finishing the writing projects, it was such a big relief off my shoulders - a job well done - a dream that was one of my goals for 2012.

I wanted to finish the books not just for myself but for others who are currently suffering in the workplace from workplace abuse especially women which I address in detail in Volume II of the books.

It was more of a challenge to write these books compared to the books containing my own story "The Cathy Harris Story: A Whistleblower's Victorious Journey to Justice" (www.TheCathyHarrisStory.com) and "The Failure of Homeland In-Security: The Government's Dirty Little Secrets from an Insider."   

Not only where the books painful to write because I had personally went through 10 years of workplace abuse myself -- but reading the collection of stories from others really took something out of me. Personally, I don't like to see anyone in pain but those books not only contained a lot of pain but they brought back memories of a painful time in my life -a time I prefer to forget!

Everyone needs to learn a different way of handling their time and task management that can gently guide them to follow through on their priorities so their efforts are spent where it counts. They need a unique way to keep from getting side-tracked when things get hectic -- so they can stay focused on what is really important.

Writing and finishing the discrimination books were extremely important to me and now because I have completed the books, once again I have a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction in my life.

 

To truly stay focused on what is important to you in your life and if you truly want to stay balanced --watch what you eat! If your energy level tends to swing up and down, taking your mood with it, evaluate your diet. Are you going for long stretches without eating, then making up for lost time by consuming big meals? Common sense should prevail here.

If you want to maintain high energy throughout the day, limit the sugar, cut back on the caffeine, eat smaller meals more frequently, and load up on natural stuff that comes from the ground while getting plenty of rest and exercise.

The solution is to create a positive outlet in the form of physical exercise. There's much you can do regardless of your current fitness level. Take regular walks or join a hiking group, ride your bike, join a yoga or aerobics class, lift weights, join the ranks of joggers, get a pass to the local indoor pool. If you're a couch potato, buy a stationary bike and get active in your living room. After all it is all about balance -- so try not to make any excuses! Good luck!

Finding Your 'True Purpose'

You Can Sit Back and Watch as the World Goes By --

Or You Can Find Opportunities to Make it Better! 

Cathy Harris

I was not able to write a blog post over the past couple of months because I was taking notes for Oprah's Life Class Lessons and formed my own Life Class Empowerment Discussion group on facebook.com.  

Last year because of Oprah's life classes I started my blog "Cathy's Purposeful Life Journey Blog" to document my life' journey. I do believe because of the life class lessons this year, I realized that I needed to get involved again in politics.

I realized that politics and economic empowerment goes hand-in-hand and if we are going to change the conditions in the community, we need to educate everyone about how things operated -especially politics. So I released a new e-book "Politics 101: How To Win Your Political Seat" and launched a new campaign "Campaign to Elect Honest Politicians."

During the life classes Iyanla Vanzant was at the top of her game and this sister has surely come back a long way. After losing her daughter to cancer then losing herself -she has definitely recovered with a strong message on "Stopping the Pain."

Over 70% of the audience members responded in that life class that they were in pain. Many people are in pain but they just don't know how to cure their pain. Like Iyanla said --they turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. and other destructive ways and for many they fall into years of depression.

I especially liked the message she gave about how we say things such as "Don't say you are broke" --instead say "I am temporarily out of cash" and for single mothers --stop saying you are single mothers --instead say "I am raising children without the benefit of a partner."

To get unstuck you have to redefine and reinvent yourself. Basically most people need to understand that many of the jobs that were lost will not come back --but eventually there will be other jobs. Meanwhile everyone need to look at their own talents and passions and reinvent themselves. This is a great time to look at starting your own business, going back to school and getting into another field.

Tony Robbins has always been one of my 'favorite' motivational speakers. Tony talked about "Living Fearlessly/Living Courageously." I know living fearlessly and courageously worked for me. As a former whistleblower "The Cathy Harris Story: A Whistleblower's Victorious Journey to Justice" -- I have had to carry that title with me for many years. Your story can be one of 'defeat' or 'victory' and for me it was a "VICTORY!"

Like Iyanla -- Tony talked about why we needed to 'divorce the story' that we have been carrying around for years and create new stories. Create stories that empowers -- instead of putting you into 'victimhood.'

Women affirm women instead challenging them. People need to be challenged! Sisters need to step out of 'sistahood' and find someone who has mastered their 'fear.' This made me look at the women in my life in a new light especially my two daughters and challenge them even more.

I do believe in strategies because if you don't have a strategy for your life --then you are just drifting through life. Having a 'breakthrough' means creating a new strategy for your life. You can't be afraid to fail -instead let failure be a lesson in your life!

Many people are fearful in their lives but like Tony said --you need to "Let Go and Let Life Happen." In order to create change you need to switch your fear to power. Power is nothing more than stepping out on your faith.

I was real skeptical going into the life class featuring Bishop T.D. Jakes even though I had friends who swore by the bishop's teachings and even family members who said they enjoyed him. I was a little turned off because of what had been happening around the world with some of the pastors - especially the sexual molestation of children.

Like others --I had what they call "church fear" --even though I was raised up in church in rural Georgia. As I grew older, I had found so many people who attended church regularly to be 'hypocrites' -saying one thing and doing another or a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess.

Bishop Jakes' message was about living your life on purpose. You are the highest, fullest, expression of yourself. Nobody is here by mistake. There is a reason you are here. When you leave here --you want to say "I did that thing" -you lived your "life on purpose."

Everybody life matters. Everybody has a calling. Your calling is a "sense of purpose" -an inner wooing. Purpose is your "life's passion." It's what drives you everyday. Your passion will help you ride into your purpose.

His message was right on point because I was already living my life on purpose. I do believe your passion will lead to your purpose. I have always been passionate about the community and helping others so I decided to become and Empowerment and Motivational Speaker. My desire and passion to help others lead to my life' purpose --which is to continue to uplift and empower others as a speaker and author.

I believe the biggest message from T.D. Jakes was that you don't always fit your dream perfectly but you can "ignite" your purpose at 'any age.' Going through pain can actually help you become the person you are meant to be. Embrace the pain -then embrace your life!

I believe one of the major issues that is holding MOST people back is not being able to forgive others. True forgiveness is 'unconditional.' You let go and move on! The past is in the past, the future is not here yet --so live each day to day.

We focus so much on what we did have -- or didn't have and we don't know how to forgive ourselves. Forgiveness means to give up the grudge so you can give more love to yourself and others.

When we are not forgiving -we are blaming, resenting another human being, etc. Not forgiving is like taking poison everyday. Unforgiveness poisons you and blocks you from taking the risk to love. It robs you of your future.

Deepok Chopra was so awesome when he said there is no life without a spiritual life. You are a spiritual being having a human experience. Spirituality is the essence of everything. Spirituality is an instinct, a choice, greater than yourself, consciousness, higher consciousness, spirit, openness, etc.

All your problems can be solved through spiritual solutions. Your mind is a conversation and your spirit is beyond that. You are not a prisoner of your thoughts. Most of the time people are not observing their thoughts. Thoughts come from past memories. What thoughts are you allowing to come into your life that is taking over your life? Change your thoughts and you will change your life.

For every action there is a reaction. Karma means you have to live with consequences of the actions you took in the past.

No matter what is going on in your life -don't concentrate on what you don't have. If you are grateful for what you have -you will end up with more.

Being grateful means transporting yourself into something much broader. No matter what the situation is -close your eyes and see what you are grateful for.

You have been given life which is "a gift." Gratitude is also a gift. Recognize that everything in your life is a gift to be internally grateful for.

You have to have people in your life that appreciates you. People will come in and out of your life and you need to say 'thank you.' Accept it with an 'open heart' -no matter what is going on in your life. Live, Love and Enjoy!

A Mother’s Love and Education - One Down, One To Go

Cathy with Youngest Daughter, Halloween 1992, Miami, FL

I can now safely look back on the year 2007 and look at it as one of the best and worst years of my life.  That was the year that I had --not one but --two daughters who graduated from college with Master’s Degrees. That was also the same year that I buried two of my best friends because of cancer.

When you hear the expression “one down one to go,” many may be referring to some type of goal in their lives.  It could be one of your children graduated from high school and you have one more to go.  It could be one of your children has finished with college and you have one more to go.  For the purpose of this blog I am referring to one of my daughters being educated about “how her body really works” and now I have one more that I need to reach.

Most of you should have read my health testimony by now entitled "The Awakening" (http://cathyhudson-harris.blogspot.com/2011/12/awakening.html). 

As I said in the testimony which has turned into my first health book “How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Becoming Healthier Over the Next 30 Days” (www.AngelsPress.com/homepage.html) --I never set out to become a "Health and Wellness Expert." I guess you can say it kind of found me.

After retiring from my job in 2005, I started my own empowerment company, Angels Press (www.AngelsPress.com) and became a motivational speaker along with being a business coach.

Because I did not lead a balanced life and did not pay attention to my health as I did other projects, I became ill.  After becoming housebound and bed-ridden in 2008, 6 doctors failed to heal me, so while in the “eleventh hour,” --I had to self-educate myself and was able to successfully heal myself.

The true miracle of it all is that I was able to heal myself by shutting down and educating myself. After all I had no choice since I was in the eleventh hour of my situation.

Everyone should take a few weeks or months to really educate themselves on how their body really works. Remember it’s extremely important to set goals for your health, family, career/business and pay attention to all of them --equally. 

After losing my two best friends to cancer, and becoming ill and healing my ownself my mission in life became to share the newfound knowledge that I had learned first-hand…to try to save as many as I could especially those around me –my immediate family. 

Many of us are only responsible for ourselves but for mothers it’s our duty to try to get the point across to our children no matter how old they become –their 20s, 30s, 40s, etc. or how much education they have. Unlike my daughters, who are half my age, I went into the military so I did not attend college but I have a PhD in life.  Life and street experiences trumps “book education” –everytime.

I guess you can say I have one daughter down and one to go.  After becoming ill, one of my daughters learned first-hand about the choices she made when she ended up sick and like me was in the “eleventh” hour.

Once you learn the right information on what you really need to do to have a strong healthy body and live a productive life, it’s hard to go back to bad eating habits and a lifestyle that would bring nothing but illnesses and diseases. Her newfound knowledge will probably follow her the rest of her life –simply because she was ready for this knowledge. 

On the other hand, my other daughter is still eating the types of foods and living in the type of environment that I am speaking against today. So I have my hands full and another job to do…to educate her before it’s too late… and yes she is in a race against time whether she knows it or not.

It doesn’t matter how much money you have or what type of life you live…"You Can’t Be Wealthy If You are Not Healthy." All I hope for my daughter is that she doesn’t have to learn the hard way like I did… or her sister. Whatever I do and however I do it I know that I have to approach it with such an urgency because it doesn’t take long for anyone who is engaging in an unhealthy lifestyle to come down with some type of illness or disease.

What is so frightening and alarming is that many people don’t have any idea what it takes to become healthy --and many are just not “ready!” Becoming healthy takes “will power” and “self-discipline” --and unless you are ready to accept change into your life, you probably will not be successful. 

Being healthy is hard for everyone --so don’t beat yourself up if it’s takes time for you to bring your life and health into balance. I still struggle everyday to do the right thing in my own life -- to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep so that I will lead an energetic and vibrant life.

Remember diseases cannot exist in a healthy body! The goal is to look at your lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep patterns, etc.) and your environment (inside environment and outdoor environment) and develop good habits that will give you a “disease-free body.”

The goal is “bad stuff out and good stuff in” which means that everyone should engage in some type of regular detoxification process of their colon, liver, and kidneys which are also the detoxification organs of the body. Then everyone should start eating “nutrient-dense” foods which are mostly raw, organic alkalizing green foods. The darker the green foods -- the better. 

Everyone should remember that “Your Health Begins in Your Colon.” Even with one bowel movement per day, you will still have at least three meals worth of waste matter rotting or decaying in your colon at all times. Two ‘easy’ bowel movements per day are recommended and if you have three movements --then you are really on the right path. Man’s body has not changed very much in the past several thousand years; however, man’s diet has certainly changed a lot. 

All the refined sugar, white flour, hormone/antibiotic-filled meats --we constantly ingest constitute an assault on our bodies. In other words, we are continuously violating our bodies by eating “The Standard American Diet” (SAD).

Last year after attending a series of webinars, I launched my own national health campaign on facebook.com, the National Non-Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Health Movement. Our blog is http://nongmohealthmovement.blogspot.com.

My book "How To Take Control of Your OwnLife: A Self-Help Guide to Becoming Healthier Over the Next 30 Days" (www.AngelsPress.com/homepage.html) is the third book in a 3-part empowerment book series which provides powerful information on how to take control of your own life.  Read it today and save your life and those around you that you care deeply about.  Good luck!

A Life With No Regrets – The Family’s Black Sheep

Ba Ba Black Sheep

There is a saying that “You Can Forgive, But You Never Forget.”  My life has been an open book from the very beginning. A few years ago I would have been too ashamed to write this blog but not today. If my story can heal and help just one person move on with their lives, then I would have done my job by writing it.

On Oprah’s show recently she interviewed 5 sisters who had been bickering their whole lives. Even though they seemed to blame one sister for all the turmoil, it was clear that not one person was to blame for their dilemma.

From an early age, I learned beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was indeed the family’s “black sheep.” The dictionary defines a “black sheep” as a person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from the accepted standards of his or her group.

One of the stories I will never forget and which still haunt me until this day is when I would wait for the school bus with my siblings in either cold or hot weather and right before the bus pulled up to our driveway, my sisters would jerk my stack of books out of my hands and throw them into the bushes --so that I would be late getting on the school bus. Meanwhile they would tell everyone on the bus about the mean-spirited act they committed while everyone laughed at me. This occurred many times during my younger years.

Let me start from the beginning. I grew up in a small rural Georgia town, about 7 miles from the Alabama State Line. I was the sixth of nine children, born to parents whose primary livelihood came from farming. My father worked in a factory to pay the bills. My mother was a housewife who stayed home to raise her children and tend the farm.

She cleaned other people’s houses sometimes for extra income. After her children were older, my mother also went to work at one of the local factories.

Even though my childhood could be described as underprivileged -- I always felt rich because of the upbringing and values instilled in me as a child. My mother always taught me to “treat others the way you want to be treated. Always respect others, especially the elderly.”

I remembered her wise words, “If you must choose between right and wrong, choose right!” Her advice would serve me well later in my life especially when I became a “federal whistleblower” “The Cathy Harris Story: A Whistleblower's Victorious Journey to Justice” (www.TheCathyHarrisStory.com).

I was a good student in school and graduated in the top tier of my high school class. I wanted to attend college, however, I didn't go. My classmates encouraged me to go, but I had no mentor in my life to provide direction with obtaining college financial aid and scholarships even though I had other relatives who had went to college.

At the time, I knew my parents could not afford to send me to college even though I probably was the only person out of 9 kids that expressed a desire to go. So, after high school graduation, I started working in the factories like my parents and their parents before them.

Right away, I realized that factory work was not the life for me. My dreams and aspirations were much broader. From an early age, I desired a better standard of living -- and traveling to new places was my ultimate dream.

After about a year of working in the factory, still yearning to travel, I joined the U.S. Army. When I look back at my military years, I remembered many of the injustices I witnessed and they still haunt me to this day and this was my first introduction to any type of injustice. I witnessed how minority male soldiers and females were treated unfairly by first sergeants and company commanders.

Even though my sisters and brothers constantly physically fought with me as children, I still don’t look at what happened to me as a child as an injustice. To me it was just a part of growing up -- and yes it was painful!

My father was actually the disciplinarian in the family and he was a ‘functional’ alcoholic. But what I really did not like was both my mother and father had ‘favorites.’ This is another reason that I have a problem today with discrimination or any type of disparity anywhere because of my upbringing and the unfairness that I felt I witnessed at an early age in my own family.

I was the youngest daughter of 4 girls and I had 3 brothers below me and 2 older brothers (9 total). To me it was just too many children and my parents were probably overwhelmed so as soon as I finished high school and moved out at the age of 17, I forgave them. Forgiving them meant I could go on with my life.

They did the best with what they had but at the same time…I made sure when I had my family and my daughters that both of them were always treated the same…always treated fairly.

I did not hold any animosity against my mother, father, sisters or brothers --even though after joining the military, I never returned home until 20 years later. The only way that I could make sense of my upbringing was to get away from it –to remove myself from such a ‘negative’ environment.

I eventually returned to Georgia, when my two daughters were ages 13 and 14 so they could be around my family before they went off into the world…to college.

We all make decisions in our lives and sometimes those decisions propel us forward or move us backwards. My decision to distance myself from my family -- did propel me forward. My life was absolutely great! I enjoyed being out in the world traveling from city to city –making new friends and building relationships.

After my mom passed away a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to be with her at the end to try to understand why I had to live my life the way I did. I think the biggest fact that really surprised my siblings when I returned home again was the fact that I was not bitter or selfish but really a caring and forgiving person.
For years I had befriended many people of different cultures and upbringings so everything was just different for me. I am not saying that none of the rivalry or conflicts growing up was my fault. I am just saying that I did the best I could do with what I had…and I am sure they did too. I am just saying that –“I grew up!”

Childhood jealousy is just that –something you should leave in your childhood. Leave the past in the past! Many people today hold grudges about something that happened in the past making it impossible for them to move on.

People who hold grudges are full of self-hate and many will have a hard time being happy no matter where they live, how much they have, or how they live their lives.

To me being a “Black Sheep” is not a bad thing because for me it made me into the person I am today. It made me resilient and more able to cope with things in life. It made me a stronger, courageous and a visionary person. It made me courageous enough to become a “whistleblower” and strong enough to work in a mostly male-dominated career for over 20 years and raise a beautiful family –all while still coming out on top.

Even though I feel many ‘black sheeps’ live on the edge and don’t have any boundaries, it’s extremely important to go ahead and live your life with no regrets. You can read more on my story in my book “The Cathy Harris Story: A Whistleblower’s Victorious Journey to Justice” (www.TheCathyHarrisStory.com). 

The Awakening

In the movie, "The Wizard of Oz" - Dorothy had the power to go back home the entire time. Just like Dorothy, you have the power to heal your body and save your own life. I could have named this blog post "The Eleventh Hour," "Second Chances," "How To Save Your Ownself," "The Power Within" - but I chose to name it "The Awakening." 

After reading this blog you must understand that doctors in this country are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry and their only goal is to keep people sick because it is "Big Business."

When you go into a doctor’s office, in the 2 to 5 minutes that they spend with you, their only goal is to write you a prescription and that’s it. Then they will tell you to come back in a week or two –and chances are they will try to give you more medications.  

I never dreamed that one day I would write a health book but when you have a testimony as important as mine -- it needs to be told.  The book is entitled “How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Becoming Healthier Over the Next 30 Days” (Series 3). If you have been feeling sick, sluggish and run-down or suffering from some debilitating illness --chances are "YOU" are the cause of what’s happening to your body and "YOU" will have to be the cure.

The book will educate you on successful steps to get back the energy and vitality you had over 10 or 15 years ago; Steps to bring down all your numbers; How to build a strong immune system; What causes body aches; How you can live to be 100 years – just to name a few.  

After reading this blog, there are three steps you must do ASAP to save yourself and the ones that you love: 1) Gain more information by reading the entire book as soon as possible; 2) Surround yourself with the natural and holistic community, and 3) for many choose careers in natural and holistic healing.  

 I don’t care where you are at in your life at this time and what you are trying to accomplish “You Can’t Be Wealthy if You are Not Healthy.”
 

My Health Testimony: 

A few months after I lost two of my best friends to cancer, I set out on a journey to educate myself about the disease and how to stop it from taking other people that I deeply cared about. I eventually discovered that most people had no idea what was going on when it came to their health. 

Many of us push our own health problems to the background and we engage in overwhelming activities in order to help and assist others. But you can’t help others unless you help your ownself --so your motto should be “Self, Family and Community.”

During the time when my friends died, I had no idea that my life too would become a struggle to survive. When I turned 50 years old, it should have been the best time of my life but my body gave out on me. It totally shut down and I eventually became “housebound” and then “bed-ridden.” 

My mom had lived until the age of 82 and so had her mom. But why had I met such a different fate?  I thought about all the things I still wanted to do with my life – the places I wanted to go, the people I wanted to see, and the legacies I still wanted to leave to my grandkids and their kids, etc. It was all now too late for me, “I thought.” 

The thought of it all being over was very agonizing! I literally thought I was dying! I knew that people had come back from illnesses and diseases and went on to do great things with their lives but because the pain was so excruciating, I knew it would not be my story.

My book is not just about cancer but it’s about every disease and illness in America and how diseases and illnesses are formed in the first place.   After my friend’s death, I soon learned that cancer deaths and many other diseases are not only “preventable” but they are also “curable.” 

After my second friend died, I too fell ill. For weeks I had noticed a feeling of sluggishness as my energy slowly drained from my body. I soon noticed I had stopped going out of the house and was eventually becoming housebound.

At first I thought my energy decrease and feeling of sluggishness was about my friends -- I thought I was grieving!  But after the New Year rolled around, I knew it was much more than just grieving for my friends. I was convinced that I was heading on some type of collision course with some type of illness or disease which would eventually take my life like my friends.

The pain started off as a small uncomfortable pain that went from my lower back to my stomach area to my knees. Simple things such as going for my daily power walks and mopping the floor became hard to do because of the back pain. Over time, it had become an excruciating pain which lasted for up to 5 to 6 hours a day --everyday.

Being a person with a low tolerance for pain, I quickly sought out help from 6 doctors including 2 specialists. For weeks, I pulled myself out of my home and went to these doctors and specialists waiting to hear the bad news that it was too late for me. 

The daily pain was so bad, it did not matter if I stood up or laid down, there was no stopping this excruciating pain. I could have easily called an ambulance to be taken to the hospital but what good would that do?  I was already seeing all these health professionals who were telling me over and over that I was fine –that there was nothing wrong with me.

Everyday when I got out of bed, my only goal was to get back in bed because my pH balance was off --which meant my body was extremely toxic. During this time, I almost became bed-ridden. 

Not only was I too dizzy to go for my daily walks but getting in and out of the bathtub also proved to be a challenge. As the pain kept growing, the health professionals relayed to me that all my tests –still proved negative for any type of illness or disease. 

When the last health professional, an OB GYN Specialist, told me I was fine with no signs of cancer or anything to be concerned about, I could have literally jumped out of the chair because the pain was so “terrible.” I could not believe it!  I just wanted an answer to what was happening to me and my body. 

After the last doctor’s visit, I went home and really reevaluated what was happening to me. I decided right then and there -- that if I was going to stop this pain inside of me and save my life then it would strictly be up to me. 

The medical profession had failed me. Doctors with degrees and a lifetime of cures for others could not figure out what was wrong with me. They could not stop the excruciating pain!  All I wanted was for the suffering to stop!

Next, I sat down at the computer and went on Amaxon.com where I usually ordered my books to conduct research on certain topics that I wanted to know more about.  

Had I not been such a good researcher, I know for a fact that I probably would not be here today! I then ordered over 100 books at one sitting. I wanted answers!  And I wanted them fast –before it was too late! I wanted to save my life but I “was not” sure I could do it. 

I ordered books on “How the Body Works; Exercising; Nutrition; Raw Foods, Organic Foods, Processed Foods; Cancer; Diseases; Parasites, Heavy Metals; Toxic Body, etc.” 

During this time not only did I buy books online but I bought books from local bookstores and checked out tons of health books from the health and fitness section in several local community libraries. 

I was on a race against time –and if I did not act as soon as possible –it would be too late for me. With the last bit of energy draining from my body, I knew I was at the “eleventh hour” of my situation. So I shut down and read the books. If the books could not tell me what to do, then I needed to prepare myself and my family because my life would be over at the age of 50.  

As I read the books, I took breaks and went through all my personal belongings, got my “Will” in order and organized everything –in case these were the last days of my life.  At the time I ran a business which I had to close down until I recuperated. 

While reading the books the information was all the same. The first step the books told me to do was to take myself off ALL processed foods (anything in boxes, cans, packages, jars, etc.) and eat ONLY raw, organic foods “juiced” or “steamed.” 

For a person who had eaten cooked foods her whole life, it was a hard transition but I knew I had to do it to save my life!  I found a neighborhood farmer’s market and went “cold turkey” off all processed foods. I “blended/juiced” or “steamed” at least 80% of what I ate daily. 

I learned quickly that “Your Health Begins in Your Colon.” The goal was for me to start having at least 2 or 3 easy bowel movements a day. I quickly found out that if you have a toxic bowel, it could cause pain to show up in any area of your body.

As I looked in the mirror daily, I saw how dull my face looked – with no glow or shine in it like it had in the past. My body had changed right before my eyes!  My fingernails had turned totally black, and a nurse who I met in a store, not a medical doctor, had commented by looking at them --that I had heavy metals in my body. As I read more about heavy metals in the body, it just all made sense that that was one of the things that was happening to my body.

When I started implementing the changes the books talked about, the pain started subsiding or disappearing. I began to get more energy to do even more research and I even started back walking again. 

I felt I was onto something. It was like some type of "awakening."  I could not believe the pain started going away and I realized I was actually healing my own body. 

I also read that pH balance meant that my body was real toxic and the only way to get rid of the toxicity was to clean out my organs starting with my intestines, liver and kidneys, which are the detoxification organs of the entire body. 

I realized that the body products (soaps, lotions, perfumes, etc.) and cleaning products that I was using in my home was extremely toxic and the way that toxins enters your body was through the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat.

I then realized that walking everyday and breathing in the car fumes which are also toxins had also contributed to my body shutting down so I found a park to walk in.

I also joined a gym again and realized when I sat in the sauna in the past, I had always felt better afterwards. At that time I did not realize I was actually releasing toxins from my body. 

I learned that I had been drinking the wrong type of water all these years and thought back about the summer the doctor diagnosed me on 5 different occasions with being “dehydrated.”

Even though he told me I was dehydrated and that I was drinking the wrong type of water, the doctor NEVER told me what type to drink because he did not know the answer.  I begin to realize that doctors did not know everything and had very little training or information on nutrition.

After 30 days the pain was down to a few minutes instead of a few hours and the glow to my skin and fingernails returned slowly along with my energy. Then I found a health food store with a good colon, liver and kidney detox and took each detox back-to-back for an entire year –and then the rest of history.

Remember a symptom can never disappear if you don’t remove the original cause. So I had to get to the root of the pain. It just all made sense why my body shut down on me at the age of 50. 

No one can get away with eating and drinking anything they want just because it tastes good and they are young. Just like no one can get away with living and working in a toxic environment and putting toxic products on their bodies.   

I remembered how I had partied in my 20s, lived and worked in toxic environments in my 30s and 40s which all had contributed to my body shutting down when I turned 50.

At some point we have to take responsibility for our health and well-being. But you have to do it before your body shut down on you. You have to do it before it is too late! 

The newfound information was a godsend to me. I was already exercising, but my new way of eating has completely transformed my life, physically, mentally and spiritually.

For those of you who have totally put yourself in the hands of your doctors, or if you want to rejuvenate or renew your life –before it’s too late, then you need to read my story, my health testimony, and the 12 steps that I took to save my own life outlined in my health book.

My health book "How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Becoming Healthier Over the Next 30 Days" (Series 3) is my living testimony about how you can heal your ownself and save your own life –and I am living proof of that.