Love
Yielding to Your Purpose
Yielding any part of your life to God is a process, not an event. The same is true for your entrepreneurial journey. It happens in stages. My process began when I felt stagnant at my job. I was a recent college graduate, and I had exhausted all my options of attempting to acquire a role in my field. At my wit’s end, I said, Okay, God, it’s me and You. I surrender. Please give me guidance in this area of my life. It was that prayer that fueled the trajectory for the rest of my career. Committed, I saw to it that God was my first order of business by starting each day off with prayer.
By no means did I change overnight. There were times when I didn’t understand what God was doing and allowed my common sense to overrule what He was telling me. I went off course many times, but God always got me back on track.
The rest is history. God has taken me in a direction I never could have predicted, and I have never been more confident in Him.
This journal is filled with thought-provoking prompts, questions, and scriptures that helped me get through some of the most difficult times of my entrepreneurial journey.
Media Alert is finished. We have made it to the other side. To God be the glory.
It’s official!
As of August 5, 2021 myself and my team made it to the other side. Jesus calmed the storm and brought us through. To God be the glory!
Praise break time right?
Yet, when I should have felt elated all I could think about was what went wrong, what we could have done better and the precarious situation I’m still in. My rejoicing was short-lived. Before I knew it, I was solely focused on what the project was lacking and the uncertainty of the future.
Through my experience, I’ve tried to put into practice looking at the bigger picture.
Isaiah 14:13-14
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
To be sure, Satan wants the praise that belongs to God. He cannot stand when God gets any glory. Therefore he will try to steal your praise by tempting you to focus on what you don’t have, what you should have done, where you are and where you think you should be.
I implore you: Do not let the devil steal your joy, steal your praise or steal your happiness. Forget about what went wrong and where you think you should be by now.
Because as Ecclesiastes 3:1 states: There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
God knows exactly where you are. Everything that happened, happened when and the way it was supposed to. Therefore clear out all the noise and be intentional about your praise to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Below is a link to an episode of Media Alert entitled ‘The Hope.’ I pray that it blesses you all:
Appreciating God’s Speed Bumps
I had set aside one major resource, and that resource was time.
Luke 12:48
But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask much more.
I planned to use my time to work on the audio mixing, color correcting, and color grading of Media Alert. When I made the decision, someone rescheduled an interview for an article during the same time Ihad set aside to edit. But I thought to myself
“That’ll just take 30 minutes out of my time.
I can handle that. No problem.”
But then another person requested three additional articles, and I found myself having to use the time that I had set aside for interviewing people. I was upset. But then God said
“You need to learn how to appreciate My speed bumps.“
Speed bumps reduce the speed of cars to promote safety for drivers and pedestrians. If you go over a speed bump too fast, you can potentially cause damage to your car. Finally, you’re not supposed to go around a speed bump as it is against the law.
God placed that speed bump there to get me to slow down. Although I was upset, He didn’t place it there to harm me but to prevent me from causing damage and to avoid accidents.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
God told me that Media Alert was going to make it. When I had the resource of time available, I took it upon myself to try to control how and when it was going to make it.
Thank God for His speed bumps.
Motivated By Love
We had three shoots scheduled for the end of September, and it was a rough summer. All except for one attempt I made to make money was successful. My mother took an unexpected pay cut. Every reason to give up and wash my hands of the show flooded my mind. I wanted to open up and talk to someone besides my fellow Producers about it. But I felt that those whom I even considered speaking to would never understand. So I kept my mouth shut. I kept things between my fellow Producers and God. I began to question why I was even putting myself through this kind of stress. Overwhelmed, one day I opened my bible to Matthew 27.
Matthew 27:39-44
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
In the same way, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God,’” In the same way, the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Here, Jesus was on the cross suffering physically. Then people began to insult Him and ridicule Him, which caused him to suffer emotionally. On top of that, they made it clear that they didn’t believe in Him, which only added to the emotional hurt. On the outside looking in, one might believe that it just would have been easier for Him to come down off the cross to put an end to His humiliation, His hur,t and their doubt. He was fully capable of doing so. Yet He remained on the cross because He knew it was absolutely necessary. He was the ultimate sacrifice.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
If He didn’t sacrifice Himself we would be lost forever. He was motivated by love. His strength motivated me to surge forward. This was God’s plan for my life, and I knew it would be successful. I’m happy to say that we taped the three shows, and we are now halfway through the season. There will be times when it seems like it would be easier to just give up. When that happens, ask yourself what motivates you. Remember, if God made this kind of sacrifice and endured such suffering for you, there should be no reason why you shouldn’t do what He asks of you.
Patiently wait on God
God’s timing is important. His timing is perfect.
We were home from the pitch festival, and now it was time to follow up. I went out and purchased stamps and thank you cards. I figured handwritten cards would leave more of a personal touch. I researched the contact information for each of the production companies we pitched to, and we sent them out. We let two weeks pass before attempting to make follow-up calls. Getting through the gatekeepers was brutal, but with persistence, we eventually made it through to voicemail. We left a lot of messages, but heard nothing back. One day, we did actually speak to the head person in charge of two companies. We had to pitch our ideas all over again. One conversation ended with “I’m sorry I’m not interested,” and the other with “Send me an email,” and we sent it but never received a reply. We were worried, and we couldn’t understand why God was allowing this to happen.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I certainly didn’t want us to seem like pests to the production companies, but I also didn’t want to miss out on our big break by being passive. It was back to business as usual. I continued to pray and asked God to open up doors for us. We went on to cover the 5th Annual Beat Boxer Championship, interview Actress Chantal Maurice, Rap Artist AR Houston, and Model Chantal Myrick, also known as “Blac Wynter.”
18th Hollywood Pitch Festival
The time was upon us. We had three days to pitch our projects to 25 companies. When we touched down in Los Angeles, California we had a huge commute to get to our room. The pitch festival location was in Universal City and we had made arrangements to stay in Long Beach. Every day of the pitch festival we had to take a bus, two trains and a trolley to and from the location. The commute and the heat were a bit much to deal with but we managed. We did a really lousy job during our first pitch. The individual we were pitching to couldn’t have looked less interested. I wanted to walk out so many times during our presentation. But I told myself, “No you paid to be here so you’d better see this through.” When we finished my mother and I went outside to regroup. I called my Uncle who is also a Pastor and has great experience with public speaking. I told him what had happened. After I spoke with him I decided that it would be best to put the index cards down and try to have more of a casual conversation with the person that I’m pitching to. My Uncle asked to speak with my mother so I gave her the phone. She started tearing up as she spoke with my Uncle. I motioned to her to find out what was wrong. With her eyes filled with tears she muttered “Uncle Grandpa died this morning,” I gasped. We shed our tears. Pitching after that couldn’t have been more difficult. Soon the commute, the heat, the pitching and the death in our family overwhelmed us.
Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.”
We decided to step outside for a word of prayer. I immediately felt the presence of God. I knew He was there with us, and somehow, even with all that was going on around us, I knew that everything would be okay. He gave me a peace that surpassed my understanding. We pitched very well after that, and with confidence, we successfully made it through the 18th Hollywood Pitch Festival. Now it was time to travel back home. We had a connecting flight in Denver, Colorado. When we got on the plane, there was an intoxicated gentleman sitting directly behind me. All throughout the flight he was pulling and kicking my seat. I told the flight attendant what was going on and asked if he could move my seat. But he said there weren’t anymore seats available. So I continued to put up with it. But then I started to smell cigarette smoke. Even though I smelled it I just couldn’t fathom that someone would be smoking on the plane, so I brushed it off. It wasn’t until my mother, who was sitting across from me, happened to turn around and saw the tip of the intoxicated passenger’s cigarette light up as he inhaled that I received my confirmation. He was smoking on the plane! Onlookers frantically hit the call button for the flight attendant, and several of them came trooping down the aisle to see what was wrong. All at once, passengers started yelling out, “He’s smoking on the plane! He has a cigarette!” Thankfully, the flight attendant confiscated the cigarette and the lighter. We made it back to New York safe and sound. As for the intoxicated smoker, he ended up going to jail.
Old Habits Die Hard
Joshua 1:7-9
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of Law Depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Writing a sitcom seemed so far off from what I was doing. But I had no doubt that God said it, and I was determined to do just what He said. But then I got a direct message from a rap artist named Tally P, and he was interested in an interview. Excited, I quickly sent him a message back and arranged an over-the-phone interview. So there I was writing an article and I assured God I would get to what he told me to do eventually. And I was genuinely confident that I would. But after I got through with that article, I got a phone call from my cousin. She told me that Wanda Armour, the mother of Mindless Behavior’s artist “Prodigy,” was interested in an interview about her new book. Again, I assured God that I would get to writing that sitcom just as soon as I interviewed Armour and posted it to my website. And I had every intention to do just that. I shot her publicist an email, arranged an over-the-phone interview, and wrote the article.
Never put off what God has instructed you to do.
God allowed me to post the article to my website but then after that boom! He shut my whole operation down. I got a virus on my laptop. Until I got the money to get it fixed, I was left with nothing but a pen and a notebook to write the sitcom that God wanted me to write in the first place.
The Road to Success is no Straight Line
Walk even when the way is not clear.
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
At this time, I was trying to get Ayana Productions on television. I was confident that if we got on television and got some more eyes on us, we would be sure to make a profit. So I drew up a proposal and made a reel. I sent it out to WKBT and NYC TV. But I hadn’t received any replies to my emails. At this point, I didn’t know what else to do or where else I could turn. It was back to the drawing board again, it seemed. I went to God in prayer and told God that it felt like I hit a brick wall. My worry and concern only grew when I didn’t hear from God or at least feel Him right away. As the days passed, it was business as usual. My mother and I covered events like the Mental Health Association of NYC, “Where there is Help, There is Hope Gala, the Live From T5 Goodie Mob concert, the Urban World Film Festival, and the United Cerebral Palsy of NYC, 4th annual Santa Project and Auction. While editing one of the shows, I made a terrible goof with one of the kyrons and another one during the ins and outs. I decided to take a break and do some yard work. For some reason, gardening relaxes me. And just as softly as the wind blew across my face, I heard God say, “It’s time to change the direction of the company. I want you to write a sitcom.”
If You Had Any Idea How Significant You Are To God’s Plan
It seemed all throughout my career, my in between jobs seemed insignificant. Family and friends always had a way of making me feel that what I do is not important. Before I knew it that way of thinking trickled down into the way I felt about my purpose for God because I felt insignificant. Because I wasn’t making a certain amount of money, I felt insignificant. Because I hadn’t acquired a certain amount of materialistic things I felt insignificant. Before I knew it I stopped fellowshipping with God and was back to doing my own thing. I tried to take matters into my own hands by trying to acquire a job that the world considered significant but was nothing more than a mere whim of selfish ambition to God. I had been tricked by the enemy.
If you only knew how significant you are to God’s plan.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.
30 Pieces of Advice I Would Have Given To My Younger Self
To commemorate my 30th birthday here’s 30 pieces of advice I would have given to my younger self.
1. Genuine love IS worth waiting on.
2. Put it in God’s hands.
3. Relax, God is in control.
4. If you’ve done your best, there’s no sense in beating yourself up over it if it didn’t work out.
5. Always look at the bigger picture.
6. In tough times, ask God what He wants you to learn from it.
7. You do more than most & work harder than you or others give you credit for. So it’s okay to have more fun!
8. You don’t have to make room in your life for ANYONE who is belittling you.
9. If the ball is in someone else’s court, leave it there until they pass it back.
10. Open up your eyes and look around you. You’re holding it down.
11. Encourage yourself in the Lord more.
12. Let go of false guilt. Most of the time, things are not what they seem.
13. Get back to basics. Spend time in prayer every day.
14. Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalms 37:4)
15. Celebrate you more.
16. If you think you’ve missed out on something…think again! God’s plan is perfect. His timing is perfect. It has no holes and no mistakes. So if you missed out on it, rest assured, it was a part of God’s perfect plan.
17. Check up on and spend more time with your family.
18. Make more time for yourself.
19. And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)
20. Persevere
21. Most of the time, people are not who they’re cracked up to be. How many times have you discovered this to be true?
22. God didn’t bring you this far to leave you now. Have faith!
23. Go for what you want.
24. Do the things you enjoy more.
25. You know God’s voice by now, so knock it off and listen!
26. Look less at your surrounding circumstances and more at God.
27. If you ever find yourself worrying about how you’re going to make it, remember God said in His word that He would meet every need.
28. God doesn’t lie and He doesn’t go back on His word, so hold on to the promises of the Lord.
29. Don’t just listen to the words…Peep the game.
30. Don’t quit. God is not through with you yet!
Ayana Productions Up Close 