Iyanla Vanzant

Iyanla Vanzant spoke at my church years ago.  I was at a crossroads and wasn’t sure of my direction, but after hearing her speak, I knew exactly how to move forward.  I purchased a ticket for a long desired trip and during that flight, I was able to put a lot of things into perspective. Her books have had that same effect on me.

Ms. Vanzant teaches contentment and patience.  In her books The Value in the Valley and In the Meantime, she reminds us that we are always garnering the fruits of our labors.  She advises us to remain industrious even during the downtimes.  She says that we should stay busy and productive using the gifts that we do have as we wait for our big breaks to come along.

Vanzant tells us to use some of our latent skills, if our major ones are not in demand at that time. We multi-faceted people and we have a lot to give in so many other areas. I have learned so much from reading her works and her messages were not lost on me.

She writes that we should get quiet, really listen and see what we are to learn from what we call challenges.  Challenges are really flip-sided blessings.  We may have to brush off some skill that we have not used in a while to make ends meet.  And, in turn, we may find that we have discovered a new oyster to add to our collections.

My absolute favorite book by Vanzant is Acts of Faith. It is one of the most spiritual books that I have in my collection.  She said that she was amazed by it as well.  I recently gave it to a co-worker who looks at Vanzant on television.  I wanted her to have some of Iyanla Vanzant’s printed words to study and ponder.

Acts of Faith is a daily guide which starts off with a quote by a famous person.  Then, Vanzant gives her lesson on that theme.  It goes through all 360 days of the year, but any page that it opens to will be the right page.  There are no disappointing messages in this little gem.

Each day closes with an affirmation on the subject for the day. It’s the type of book that you buy over and over, because you are likely to meet someone who needs it more than you. So, you gift it and buy a replacement copy.

Congratulations to this inspirational and gifted sage during Women’s History Month.  Thank you Ms. Iyanla Vanzant for taking me even further on my journey!

Lynn                                                                                                       March 26, 2015