Camille James says ~

I have been designing websites for over 13 years now and have been blessed to always have a flow of clients no matter where in the world I have traveled or lived. When I first started I knew that I would have to give away my gift in order to build my portfolio and sharpen my skills as an artist. At some point in my career and after buying into so many other people's dreams, I decided I was done paying dues. There was nothing left to prove. They would either see my work and trust that I would do a great job or go to someone else. Either way I would have my time or my money and that's considered a win-win in my book.

I'm always approached by others who want my gift as a web designer for FREE in exchange for a promise. The illusive opportunity that by me giving them a website for FREE would maybe one day turn into something profitable in the distant unknown future. What I found out was that if you give someone something for free they will not appreciate it or find value in the offering. If by chance they did refer you to someone else, that person would also want something for FREE. This is the infamous Hook Up. OMG... Give me a break people. I have to feed my kids too. The phone company won't except a hook up, but rather I would get a hang up or a cut off.

My Aunt Mae (bless her soul) would always say, "if you give a man your cookies for free, he will tell everyone about it and want to share it with his boys. If he has to spend time and money trying to court you, he will cherish your relationship and will want to keep you all to himself." She was so right. It doesn't have to always be money, because TIME and ENERGY is more valuable than that.

It's so easy to give away your gift because it comes to you from within and there is no limit to its supply, but there's a reason for having this gift. God grants these abilities to us when we are in the womb to ensure that we will be able to take care of ourselves and our families throughout our lifetime. Your gift is meant to substin you. In every group there is something unique that each person possesses that is meant to benefit the whole. It is not an exchange when you are giving away your gift for FREE in hopes that you will receive something later.

The next time someone asks for your gift for FREE, ask them to exchange something of value that YOU can use right then... not later. Make sure it's something of equal value and not a company pen, t-shirt or a bridge. People who want something for free are manipulators who prey on others with a good heart. Don't be fooled... they will come to you as family, freinds, co-workers or business prospects. I know it's hard to put a price tag on your gift, but think about how much money per hour you would like to make and then think of how much time it takes you to produce your gift and there you have it....

A dear friend once said that the key to his success was having no expectations, therefore he never experienced disappointment. I had to ponder on that for a while and eventually I understood. It especially rang true to people I encounter, because every time I placed my own expectations on another... they always fell short.

I think that's why a lot of women are single today. Ladies you know how we come up with this extravagant list of qualities that we want in a man. He has to be rich, funny, strong, sensitive, honorable, loving, wise and no baby mama drama... and the list goes on and on.So much so that many women are actually looking for someone who does not actually exist. Well maybe in the comic books.

So I set out into the world with no expectations, which actually opened my world up to possibilities I did not know existed. This allowed the people I met and myself the freedom to just be...... How simple is that?

Your point of power begins from within.

It takes a great amount of courage to accept responsibility for the situations in your life. This may seem difficult when you were not the only one involved in the situation, such as being slandered or taken advantage of by another. Long after the situation has passed, the memories of the events seem to replay themselves until it takes a life of its own. You might ask, “Why should I accept all the blame? I was the innocent one”. Yet you are the one left defenseless and in a weakened state. It is very easy to blame others or outside forces for certain dilemmas and by doing so, you are thereby powerless over the outcome. The weakened state is caused by an involuntary release of power.

 

In the act of accepting responsibility, you are thereby becoming empowered. By realizing that you created the situation, you are now able to re-create it. As long as someone else is being blamed for the problem, they are the only ones who can transform it. When you are not being the co-creator that you were designed to be, someone else will gladly do the creating for you. This will lead to you becoming part of someone else’s agenda and not that of your own. You’ll wake up one day and say, “how did I get into this situation?” This is simply because you stop creating or were not aware that you had the power to create in the first place.