THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: THE HEALTHY PATH TO VICTORY

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-life-challenge-series-healthy-path.html

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: FEAR IS YOUR FREEDOM

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STRENGTHEN YOUR SPIRITUAL ARMOR

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IT'S NOT ME; IT'S YOU

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/02/its-not-me-its-you.html

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: IDENTITY FRAUD

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-life-challenge-series-identity-fraud.html

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING ...

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/02/truthfully-speaking.html

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: PRIORITY #1

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-life-challenge-series-priority-1.html

Sonnet #20 for February

STRIVE

Great way to love self is stay true to word

Always attempt to see commitments kept

Self-esteem lowers when tasks are deferred

Don’t conjure up excuses to accept

Empowerment ensues when you exert

Effort to tackle all matters at hand

Never let ego cause you to divert

Push past its mind games; show you’re in command

Life can be challenging, sometimes you’ll find

May not be able to get it all done

No need to feel defeat, kindly remind

You did the best you could do, so you won

Solid impression of self is top goal

Build it through taking good care of your soul

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #19 for February

POTENTIAL

You have a bad habit of coming in

And ripping apart lives of those in sight

Dealing with you it seems no one can win

They run opposite direction in fright

Maybe it’s due to your abusive past

Traits picked up from those in charge of rearing

Foster system where so many amassed

Lack of care left you in state of fearing

Now only side you can show is the worst

Cuz no one capitalized on your best

Undivided attention is main thirst

Hoping it will cure your soul’s deep unrest

Somewhere within lies a trapped heart of gold

To invite love into life you must mold

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #18 for February

MISSION

She sings like butterfly, solely self-taught

Bring you to tears, captivate with rare voice

Since baby, belting out tunes she was caught

All who listen overcome with rejoice

Even with all due praise she did receive

Parents failed to encourage singing dream

Industry will corrupt her, they believe

Pushed hard to come up with new career scheme

Aiming to please those who gave her this life

She strayed from chosen route burning in heart

Only to find spirit teeming with strife

Since forcing self to divorce from her art

Unable to keep up painful charade

Remarried true path for which she was made

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #12 for February

LEMON LAW

I love the lemonade you make of life’s

Lemons, turning bitter-tasting trials sweet

You acknowledge that you’ll encounter strife

Mentally prepared to endure the heat

Honest with self when frustrations are high

But refuse to drown in pity and woes

Instead push shoulders back, lift head to sky

Pray for some sugar to balance tart blows

Firm faith always on hand to pull you through

Blocking out haters’ negativity

Anticipating peace, victories new

Keep eyes on prize is your proclivity

You’re expert on laws of how to create

Perfect drink to ensure praiseworthy fate

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #9 for February

POWER COUPLE

They formed alliance when they converged hearts

Life’s pokes and jabs would never damage them

Both born into dysfunction off the charts

A pathway these two determined to stem

Odd couple, no doubt; some thought they would fail

Confidence always reigned in their merging

Strong friendship between them, neither would bail

Regardless of people’s frequent urging

Anytime outsiders tried to encroach

And wreck their concrete foundation of love

They had the chutzpah to quickly reproach

Firmly united just like hand in glove

Guarding a relationship takes teamwork

Stay ready for the bond breakers that lurk

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

A Review Worth Sharing

Please check out this in-depth review of my book, Building Faith and Character Through Life Challenges (companion to my Life Challenge Consultation service). I really appreciate people who take the time to not only read my work, but also put such detailed effort into their thoughts about it afterward.


"Within the genre of "self-help" books (I've read a few!), Charlene E. Green's newly published Building Faith and Character Through Life Challenges is the most profound and practical literary resource I have encountered. It is a great read--clear, logical, and full of personal experiences to support the guidelines Ms. Green has discovered/uncovered---applicable to everyone. Whether the reader be agnostic, atheist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist etc. etc.---something will resonate with that seeking person and make his/her journey more enlightened.

Ms. Green touches the core of everyday human experiences-- interpersonal conflicts, physical and mental illness, financial distress. Yes, this book offers a do-able guideline, a way to change one's thought processes and behavior habits so seemingly unsolvable situations become untangled.

Using problems, sufferings, desires as stepping stones toward enlightenment (as in living with joy, wisdom, compassion and courage), Ms. Green provides a method--using personal, honest proof, filled with humor scenes from her nitty-gritty life experiences.

This book is for the strivers--the seekers of effective and healthy ways to overcome life's challenges.

The concept of expanding one's consciousness to include others is an essential factor in Ms. Green's prescription to happiness.

From Charlene Green's book:
'Life-challenge triumphs are not just for us to benefit from; they're for us to use to help others overcome their obstacles.'"

Dianne Bye, MA in Performing Arts, Syracuse University
Los Angeles Unified School District Theatre Arts Teacher (grades pre-k-12)

To order your copy, please visit www.hustledivaspeaks.com/pages/purchase.aspx
Need a little more info before you order? Click here. 

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY

My Sentiments Exactly, my most personal compilation, was written over the course of about four years, while I was deep in the throes of major life changes and spiritual transformation. It's my favorite poetic work to date, and it features poems such as "Asunder" and "Time Management." 
To order, click the "Treat Yourself" link below the book.                                                                 
                                                                               

    

$15.00

 To purchase additional products, please visit www.hustledivaspeaks.com.

Haiku #13 for January

MOVING ON

Boxes packed, U-Haul's
here; only thing missing's the
love they moved in with

Copyright 2014
Charlene E. Green

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Haiku #11 for January

BUSTED LIPS

Lipstick stains on mug
found in boyfriend's dishwasher ...
and she don't wear pink

Copyright 2014
Charlene E. Green

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TIME MANAGEMENT

Over time

the heavy of you

has gotten so much lighter

the weight of my affection

has decreased

to something manageable

pocket sized

only visible when I decide

to take it out and look at it

and even then

it’s just a glance

sometimes a lingering gaze

but nothing I can’t handle

cuz I’m in control now

I learned how to buck the system

the one where

my anxieties had me

strung up

doing a painful puppet dance

slave to their uncomfortable beat

but those days are over

cuz I finally accepted that

I would never be able to outrun

my heart

couldn’t even escape it

by hiding in the darkness

of my own shadow

it’s etched there too

so I stopped running

resisting

got proactive

realized I couldn’t just

hang around and wait for time

to make things better

in its own time

I had to get aggressive

and push the clock forward

when the sun shines so brightly

in your path that you can’t see clearly

beats down on you with so much vigor

that you feel assaulted

you don’t stay there

exposed to its harshness

you find ways to diffuse it

protect yourself

so you don’t get burned

now

when I window-shop you

it’s from a healthy distance

without the compulsion to

rearrange your exhibited position

reaccessorize you to fit my preferences

I accept that I may only be able

to admire you from afar

where I fantasize briefly about
what it would be like

to take you off display

out of the view and reach

of the others who’ve been

coveting you

and then I keep walking

can’t loiter too long

cuz time has a tendency

to get away from you

if you don’t monitor it closely

it’ll run amok and then have you

scrambling to backtrack on

important things you didn’t tend to

while you were distracted

like keeping the pieces of yourself

in proper order

from coming unassembled

and amid the chaos of your undoing

you’ll realize you were so busy

standing unprotected in the unbearable sun

getting scorched

that now there’s not enough time

to put yourself back together

before the parts get lost

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

COVERED

The day will come when I'll be able

to wrap myself around you so often

that I'll be like your second skin.

Feel free to use me as backup

if you're ever uncomfortable in your own.

I'll be the sheath you wear

to heal your wounds

my warmth will melt

tension from your nerves

protect your inner beauty

from the coldness of life

you need this kinda love.

My hold on you

will be gentle 

supple only to your touch

but let 'em try to test you

attempt to break through me

to shred your spirit

earthquake your manhood

separate you

from the knowledge of your worth

and I'll grow defensive

harden like tortoise shell

tighten my grip

be as thick as skin comes

chameleon you

so they can't see you

matrix through their war zone

I'm every texture there is

for every battle in your path

tell me which one you need

customize me for your exterior:

sandpaper coarse

to smooth their disrespectful tones

gravel jagged

to trip 'em up

when they try to walk all over you

leather tough

so their knives can't pierce

your back when they stab you in it

rose-thorn sharp

to bleed 'em of their gall.

No matter how many

got you hemmed up

I got you surrounded

I'm like a bubble umbrella
when they try to rain on your glory
my barrier is wide
too expansive for their tricks
go 'head and Two-Step through that storm
show 'em how you move
when I'm on
smile cuz you know
I change with the conditions
see 'em before they hit
stay resilient through 'em all.

So save your strength

use it to focus on

manifesting your greatness

I have enough brawn
for both of us

enough warrior in my cells

to repel the offenders.

I got you covered

all your parts

permission granted

to wear me

however you need

to conquer your journey.

©2013 Charlene E. Green

 

Thanks for reading! Please continue to support my work by viewing my tour campaign, contributing to my cause, and sharing the campaign link with your networks! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/ecUob/ab/0255N5  Thank you in advance!

THE BEST MAN WAS THE BEST THING FOR ME

I cannot WAIT to see The Best Man Holiday because ...

In 1999, when The Best Man came out, I had just started writing my first huge literary endeavor, a movie script called Love's Train. It was during the writing of that project that I knew my life's mission was to be a writer. But FIRST, I had to finish the script. The night I went to see The Best Man, I remember thinking it was such a great movie with sharp, witty dialogue and well-rounded characters, so much so that my spirit deflated with each passing scene. I kept thinking, "What am I DOING trying to write a movie script?! I can't write stuff like THIS! I'm not good enough. Eff it. I'm not gonna finish it." I went home feeling like crap, and I promptly "ended" that project. I moped, chastised myself for not having the skills to write brilliantly, and beat myself down mentally for being "less than" in so many ways. But when your calling is awakened, no amount of self-slander will keep you from doing it, no matter how hard you try to walk away.

Three weeks later, after the agony of NOT working on my script had kicked my ass, I reluctantly got up, dusted myself off emotionally, and decided to take another stab at it, though I couldn't imagine what kind of greatness I was gonna come up with. So I got back on it, deflated and all. I dug deep into my life to pull out what I wanted to be a great story. As I wrote, and very well, I might add, I felt it ... that indescribable surge of "this-is-IT," and all of a sudden my world changed. I knew as I typed those scenes that writing, the thing I had been doing all my life, was what I was born to do professionally. It was the most gorgeous a-ha moment I've ever experienced. One month later, I finished Love's Train, and I was DAMN proud of myself and the script! I felt like I had actually done what Malcolm D. Lee did in The Best Man, but in my own way, one that was just as good as his.

That script is what started my journey, the thing that made me pursue moving to L.A. I shared it with my friends and family, shopped it to production companies, and once I was in L.A., I almost had a couple of deals. Even though they fell through, it was okay because by then, I had already written my first novel, ONE MAN'S TREASURE, and I knew after THAT masterpiece that there would be no more self-denigration or questioning of my mission. I still intend to make that movie. When the time is right, it'll all fall into place. In the meantime, I'm grateful for being in that theater in October of '99, because I was challenged to step up my game before I was barely out the gate. And I truly did. I'll be front & center at The Best Man Holiday, with a completely different mindset, and much appreciation for having the opportunity to witness a second go-'round of the movie and characters that ALMOST made me quit my most important career-building project.

***Speaking of projects ... Please continue to support my work by viewing my tour campaign, contributing to my cause, and sharing the campaign link with your networks! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/ecUob/ab/0255N5  Thank you in advance!

KILL SUICIDE: STAY ALIVE AND FIGHT!

My self-transformation poetry is meant to shake you up, make you look at your life honestly, make you face yourself ... and wanna strive to be better. It's also meant to do the same for ME. I may write like I'm only talking to YOU, but when I pen these poems, the messages are just as much for me to heed. I have to do my own work every day on my life, too. This is no holier-than-thou mission I'm on. It's me and all of you, working together to change for the best.

In December 2010, I was suffering badly, emotionally. It was to the point where I felt I was drowning in my own misery. I hated the feeling, and I wanted an out. I knew a woman (still know her) who was also struggling. She owned a cafe I visited frequently. We would have long talks, and she would often tell me about the deep issues she was dealing with and I would offer encouragement. I decided to get out of myself and go down to her store to check on her to take my mind off my problem. When I arrived and asked how she was, she told me that she wanted to kill herself the night before. Not only that, but she said she saw herself doing it and felt GOOD about it. This stunned me at my core. I was actually speechless. I had heard [of] people saying they wanted to kill themselves, but no one had ever said it to ME, and I had NEVER heard anyone say they saw the action and felt good about it. I was truly shaken on a level I had never been. Fortunately, she moved past that moment and came to work that day, though I apologize that I can't remember what she said made her decide to stay alive. What I do know is this: Her comment disturbed me so deeply that when I left 2 hours later, my soul ached for her and everyone who's ever felt like her. That conversation made me reassess my own life and problems and how I was handling them. I had been in distress, but [that time] I didn't wanna kill myself, and I felt fortunate. But I suddenly realized how important it is for us to put our own suffering aside, come out of our shell, and embrace other people. You never know where they are in THEIR suffering, and hearing their story may change the way you view YOURS.

Later that night, as I was still flooded with angst about her, and about my own issues, I got angry about how we sometimes treat ourselves, the ways we don't protect ourselves, the situations we allow ourselves to be in because we haven't learned to love ourselves enough to steer clear of them. And then "Zookeeper" spilled out of me with fervor. In this poem, I was talking to her, myself, and everyone else out there who has ever carried burdens so heavy that they feel they're gonna break at any moment, but because of their lack of self-esteem, and often the heaviness of whatever mental health issue they may be struggling with, they sometimes can't push themselves to fight for their happiness. 

I still revisit this poem regularly, to check in with myself, to make sure I'm fighting. Cuz sometimes ... that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel just doesn't seem to be there. The darkness feels like a ruthless, weighted pillow suffocating my soul. I, too, have experienced that awful feeling of there not being any hope of getting to "the light"—of not even believing that it existed—and consequently, I've felt hopeless to go on. Thank goodness I pushed through those times.

Please listen to the poem, and then please share this post with others who are suffering. This self-work is serious. It's necessary. People need it. And I wanna encourage as many as I can to dive in and swim to the light.

Click link to listen.

ZOOKEEPER