What's in a Name?
The Yoruba followers believe that Ìyá Nlá, also called "the Great Mother", is a communal spiritual force that acts as a medium to access the Forces of Nature as well as the wisdom of their ancestors.
Iyanla Vanzant is well-known as an inspirational speaker, spiritual teacher, author, and television personality. Born in Brooklyn, New York as Ronda Eva Harris on September 13, 1953, she was given the title of "great mother" after being ordained as a Minister in the Yoruba tradition. Lovingly referred to as the high priestess of healthy relationships, Vanzant is a living testament of acting on faith.
Thanks to her ability to bring forth inner peace and healing, she is often looked up as a dynamic and persuasive speaker in the United States. She comes across as an outspoken, fiery, transparent, and truthful individual. Her ability to rise above the ordinary circumstances and meet life's challenges are worth an honorary mention. Her consistent messages of love, forgiveness, and living life is just a part of her entrusted mission.
For the Times You Feel Let Down ...
"You know why the road curves as you're driving along? It curves because if God showed us the distance from where we are to where we're going, we'd think it was too far."
"Act the way you want to be and soon you will be the way you act."
"Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth."
"When you have something to do, life will not allow you to move forward until you do it."
"The only way to get what you really want is to let go of what you don't want."
"Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change."
"Choice is a divine teacher, for when we choose we learn that nothing is ever put in our path without a reason."
"Remain open. There is something bigger than you know going on here."
"You have set standards for how you want to be treated and what you expect from yourself and for yourself."
"Every day is your day if you claim it. If you wait for somebody else to make it for you, you're going to be disappointed."
"All things are lessons God would have you learn, and the best students get the hardest tests."
"Each of us was born to fulfill a divine purpose. As we open our hearts and minds to a new way of being, the purpose of our lives unfolds organically."
"The remedy for life's broken pieces is not classes, workshops or books. Don't try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive."
"If you are afraid to take a chance, take one anyway. What you don't do can create the same regrets as the mistakes you make."
"Before you find out who you are, you have to figure out who you aren't.."
"Everyone has a purpose because God is a purposeful God."On Loving and Being Loved ...
"... But learning about real love comes from within. It cannot be given. It cannot be taken away. It grows from your ability to re-create within yourself, the essence of loving experiences you have had in your life."
"Be willing to share all of who you are. So many of us want a partner, but we're not willing to show all of us."
"What will support any relationship is clear, complete and conscious conversations when upsets or breakdowns occur."
"Loving yourself has nothing to do with being selfish, self-centered or self-engrossed. It means that you accept yourself for what you are. Loving yourself means that you accept responsibility for your own development, growth and happiness."
"So many of us invest a fortune making ourselves look good to the world, yet inside we are falling apart. It's time to invest on the inside."
"Release and detach from every person, every circumstance, every condition, and every situation that no longer serves a divine purpose in your life. All things have a season, and all seasons must come to an end. Choose a new season, filled with purposeful thoughts and activities."
"Always remember to be patient and loving with yourself and others because that is what God does all the time."
"... We love in others what we love in ourselves. We despise in others what we cannot see in ourselves."
"You cannot experience the fullness of your authentic self or life when you live to avoid hurt. You will never know the joy of love or the peaceful satisfaction of being loved if you hide from hurt."Making an Impact ...
"When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else."
"When you can look a thing dead in the eye, acknowledge that it exists, call it exactly what it is, and decide what role it will take in your life then, my Beloved, you have taken the first step toward your freedom."
"Plan your hours to be productive...Plan your weeks to be educational...Plan your years to be purposeful. Plan your life to be an experience of growth. Plan to change. Plan to grow."
"Have the courage to be exactly who you are without apology. Admit your mistakes without beating yourself up. Release all shame! Release all guilt! You cannot live if you are hiding behind what was. Focus on what is, right now, and that is you!"
"I don't think there's such a thing as a selfish prayer. Prayer puts you in communication so you can talk about whatever you want to talk about."
"You do not have to love what is going on in your life, but you must accept that it, whatever it is, is going on. As long as you do not accept reality, you are powerless to define the role you will play."