QuanLanaeGreen.com: from ghetto to fabulous

Dreams Continue to Come True

June 17, 2019

From Poverty to Prosperity: Overcoming a Poverty Mindset

January 28, 2019

Going from living a life of constant struggle to living a life of prosperity and success requires an extraordinary amount of personal development - especially if you come from the ghetto like me.

I grew up in the housing projects of a small town called Poughkeepsie located upstate New York. My childhood environment was saturated with subliminal messages that shaped my mindset and informed me of what I could and could not achieve. There was a communal way of thinking that was limiting and restrictive. I was surrounded by small-minded, complacent people who shared poor principles; and, early on, I allowed those people and their negativity to hold me back from being all that God created me to be.

Everything in my low-income community, from the people living on government assistance and welfare, to the toxic, dirty, roach-infested buildings I lived in, sent the message that there wasn't enough, there would never be enough, and I wasn't enough. The longer I stayed in that environment, the longer I began to believe those lies. By the grace of God, I was afforded an opportunity to leave my mother and grandmother in my old 'hood in Poughkeepsie and begin a new life with my father and stepmother in the suburbs of Atlanta; I was completely surrounded by people who dreamed big, achieved greatness, and believed in me enough to give me a fair shot at success.

Once I left Poughkeepsie and was exposed to a higher way of thinking and being, my mindset began to shift. Being around people who wanted more out of life caused me to want the same. When I was living in Poughkeepsie, all I wanted was to smoke weed, look cute, and be chosen by 'hood dudes with money. However, after spending time around successful people in Georgia, it triggered within me the desire to want more out of life; I now wanted things like wealth, prosperity, and to know my God-given purpose. By most people's standards, after years of healing and personal development, I've achieved those things; however, I couldn't have achieved them without taking massive action towards my success and making changes in my daily habits.

As a Christian, I knew it was important to pray and read my Bible; but, it never became a habit for me until I got on the path to total life transformation, through learning and applying the things I was taught. I started reading my Bible religiously and began to renew my mind with the word of God. I started with the Book of Proverbs, which taught me about wisdom, discernment, and godly character. I also started reading fabulous books that taught me about sophistication, grace, elegance, and etiquette - all things that unfortunately are never taught to young ladies growing up in my old ‘hood.

Throughout constant cycles of revelation from God and self-discovery, I began to break the mindset of contentment, lack, and mediocrity. I pushed myself towards success, studied the behaviors of millionaires and billionaires, and began to strive towards greatness. My poverty mindset had been converted into a wealth mindset; and, the more my mindset changed, the richer and happier I became.

Since I left the 'hood, I've been able to go from having poor credit to excellent credit, from constantly getting evicted from apartments to investing in a luxury resort in Costa Rica, and from feeling limited and defeated to feeling powerful and unstoppable. I took my life from ghetto to fabulous and I KNOW you can do the same!

My prosperity and success is attributed to renewing my mind with the word of God, having a solid relationship with my Creator, constantly learning and taking action on new knowledge, surrounding myself with extraordinarily motivated people, and pushing myself to higher levels of greatness. With the power that God has given me, I became my own best friend and coached myself into being the successful person that I am today. I give God all the glory for that.

When you grow up in a poor environment, you begin to adapt and settle into a life that is beneath God's desire for you. If you have big dreams, there’s no way you can accomplish them by settling, giving up, throwing in the towel, and lying down in a bed of depression and poverty. Break the chains of financial lack and limitation by getting spiritually connected with your Creator, reading books aligned with your desires, getting around people who are 10 times more successful than you, and taking action towards the fulfillment of your biggest dreams.

And, if you need additional help, motivation and accountability, hire me as your life coach.

Serious question: what do you have to show for all of your struggles? Do you have a business? Do you own property? Are you walking in your greatness? Are you happy in your marriage and relationships? Are you inspiring others? If you answered "no" to any of those questions, it's time to finally get your life! The good news is, you don't have to do it alone.

If you've tried (and failed) at doing it on your own before, it's time to try another approach. Let me coach you into your next level of success, help you break the chains of poverty forever, and give you strategies for creating and living your best life.

*Enroll in my coaching program today. It's the best investment you can ever make. Deep down you know you were born for greatness. Now is the time to make your dreams become a reality!

With love,

Coach Quan

faith

All the Encouragement You'll Need for 2019

December 30, 2018

encouragement

How I Prepare on Sunday for the Week Ahead

July 01, 2018

breaking bad habits

Breaking Poor Financial Habits

May 28, 2018

Right off the back, I'm just going to go ahead and say it: you're probably not rich right now because you weren't born into a rich family, you grew up poor and nobody ever taught you how to have money, keep money, and save money. You're blowing your money on things you don't need and you're trying to impress people who probably don't even like you. There. I said it. And it's not to condemn you. I want to bring awareness to the problem so that we can address it head on and get you on your way to living a rich, prosperous, and fabulous life.

If you're like me, you come from a low-income family. We didn't ask to be born poor; but, hey, it is what is. Personally, I had to learn how to overcome my poor upbringing and poverty mentality and break some of those old, ghetto money habits that my family passed on to me. And, hopefully, this blog post will begin to help you do the same.

With that said, here's a little more about my financial past...

Going into debt, never saving any money, living above my means, having bad credit, and spending all my money were poor habits that I learned from my poor family; namely, my mother, grandmother, aunts, and uncles. Nobody had the financial literacy to teach me about checking and savings accounts, borrowing and lending money, or budgeting and investing. I don’t even think anybody I grew up around had a legit bank account - the “checking cashing place” was where they went to handle all their financial transactions. Everything I learned about money was either self-taught or circumstances-taught. And I’ve found that your circumstances will often teach you far better than anything else will.

After being evicted three times and experiencing what it was like to have and lose money, I eventually got to the point where I began to get serious about my finances. I was tired of going through the same circumstances over and over again. I desperately wanted to break the cycle for myself and for my family.

My last and final bout with being broke and broken was after my husband and I had experienced an increase like no other; I talk about this particular time in my life in Chapter 14 of my book From Poughkeepsie to Paris: A Ghetto Girl's Journey to Becoming a Fabulous Woman.

During this time of uncommon prosperity, my husband and I had closed on a business deal we were working on and got a fat check afterwards. We were spending thousands of dollars left and right because we assumed we’d always have it. There were other deals on the table, things looked promising, and we just knew we were about to be rich forever. But we weren’t. Those deals that were on the table never closed and, before we knew it, we were back broke and living a mediocre life. It was devastating and possibly the most humbling experience we’ve ever gone through. It’s one thing to never have anything, but to have experienced financial success and end up broke again is the absolute worst!

But, we knew that if God could bless us like that before, He can definitely do it again. But, we also knew that God wasn't going to bless us with another financial increase until we became committed to being great stewards over our money.

So we prepared for our next blessing - there was no way we were going to mess this one up. We sought out financial experts – accountants, financial planners and advisors – and we began to implement the financial strategies they taught us. I went out and purchased budgeting and accounting software where I could literally see the consequences of each purchase I was thinking about making and how the decisions I made today would affect my financial future.

Realize this: God wants you to be a great steward over the money He gives to you; and, if you ever expect him to bless you with millions, you had better get disciplined in managing the thousands first. (#Message!)

Being too generous and giving away money when I should have been saving it was also something I had to get under control. My mindset was, “If I have $10,000, I can afford to give away $2,000.” But, in reality, I needed that $2,000; especially considering the fact that I was an entrepreneur and a consistent cash flow was never guaranteed. In retrospect, I couldn’t afford to give away any money. I couldn't afford to help friends and family with their bills because I was still on the come up and, even though I had more money than them, I still hadn't truly "made it".

After going broke so many times, I realized that most financial problems could be solved with self-discipline and respect for the future. Once I started living by this principle, the numbers in my bank account increased, I began to be blessed with opportunities to make more money, and I overcame unforeseen circumstances that could have ruined me financially but didn't because I had an emergency fund.

Here's what I learned and what I want you to take away from this:

Some of the things you buy are so unnecessary. On a daily basis you’re constantly being bombarded with messages that you’re not good enough or you won’t be happy unless you bought this or that. They’re all lies being told to you by celebrities and advertising agencies. The more they make you feel insecure and dissatisfied with yourself and your life, the more money they can make off of you. And, the less money you'll have in the bank.

You have to get to the point where you realize none of the services or goods you're buying actually adds value to your life. You might look or feel good for the moment; but, all the euphoria quickly wears off and you're back feeling like crap again once you check your balance and you notice those overdraft charges.

You'll be able to save a lot more money if you stop making unnecessary purchases and stop being a victim of consumerism.

The first question you should ask yourself before making a purchase is, “Do I really need this?” Most of time the answer is clearly, “No.” Nothing you buy can make you fill the voids that are on the inside; and, when you buy stuff you don't need and live above your means, that’s the main reason you’re doing it: to fill a void or an unmet need...but, we'll talk about that in a later blog post.

Once I began to heal from the things I had experienced in my own childhood – the things I wrote about in my book and a little bit on this blog – I spent less money and became less materialistic. And I want the same exact thing for you.

Having money is great but it’s more important to save the money you earn and make wise investments. That's the real secret to wealth and riches.

Be determined to break the cycle and step out of those old spending habits so that you can truly live a life of prosperity and stop pretending (or tricking yourself into thinking) that you have it when you really don't. Say "no" to those friends and family members who constantly want to "borrow" money knowing they're never going to give it back. Stay at home on the weekends instead of going out with friends; especially if you know you always spend an insane amount of money when you're out "having fun". And, download the Robinhood app and start investing in stocks. It's free to get started and you can begin purchasing low-cost stocks immediately.

It's the small changes that we make that causes us to experience financial success.

When I was being irresponsible with my finances, God began to dry some things up in my life in order to teach me to be a better steward over the things He entrusted me with. He knew He had great plans for my life – plans to prosper me – but He couldn’t do it if I was still the poor-thinking girl from the ‘hood who didn’t know how to handle having money.

I truly wanted everything God had for me; and, I knew that I had to clean my financial act up before He would launch me into my destiny. So, I did the work, I made small changes, I educated myself, I learned my lesson, and I waited for my time to come again. Then, and only then, did God catapult me into true prosperity.

And, I believe that's what He's wanting to do for you. If that wasn't the case, you wouldn't have come across this blog. It's a sign, darling. Now is the time to get your financial house in order.

With Love,

Quan Lanae Green

You were created to live a blessed, prosperous life! Now is the time to walk in your greatness!

come through

Shawana Brooks Tells Her Inspiring Life Story

May 27, 2018

from ghetto to fabulous

What It's Like Writing Your Life Story

September 06, 2017

fabulousness

Letting Your Light Shine Gets You Noticed

October 28, 2015

big things

5 Signs You're Destined for Greatness

October 21, 2015

I remember growing up in the projects in Poughkeepsie, New York and thinking to myself that I was not destined to live my entire life in the slums. I had this innate sense that I was created for something more and my life would be so much greater than my environment indicated. I always had this feeling that I was going to accomplish great things. I dreamed big, kept myself motivated, worked hard, and eventually I was able to see glimpses of my greatness manifest; further confirming that I was destined for a life that wasn’t average, small, or ordinary. I was destined for greatness.

What I know for sure is that God will always get His way. If you’re destined for greatness, He won’t let you feel comfortable with living a life of mediocrity. He’ll do everything in His power to see to it that His purpose for your life is revealed. Below are some of the signs that God shows you that you’re destined for greatness.

1. Other people can see it.

Mathew and Tina Knowles have mentioned several times in interviews that they always knew Beyonce was going to be a star. Michael Jackson’s parents said similar things about him – I don’t recall them ever saying that about Tito. I’m just saying. When you have a huge calling on your life, people can sense it. There are things people see about you that you don’t even see right now. But, if someone ever tells you were created for greatness, you’d better believe them! God often sends confirmation through other people.

2. You’re not like your friends and family.

Some of the world’s greatest people were the outcasts and black sheep of their families. You have to remember, everybody’s not great, it’s a rare characteristic. That said, great people are unlike everyone else; they’re different. And they have to be. If God has a special assignment and calling on your life, you have to be the type of person who doesn’t have a problem being by yourself, leaving your friends and family, and finding your own way through life. God wants to get you alone because He has special plans for your life; plans that will guide you into your greatness! It’s no coincidence you feel separate from everyone else – you’re supposed to be.

3. You have dreams and visions.

I’m a dreamer. Literally. I have a journal of over 200 dreams that I’ve had over the last three years. God speaks to me through my dreams; and, when He does, it’s almost always to give me some type of clue about my destiny. In the Bible, people who were destined for greatness always received some divine guidance from God through visions and/or dreams: Joseph, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, and the list goes on. God had to communicate with these people in a method that was clear, concise, and undeniable because their destines were extremely important and significant. When you’re destined for greatness, God will send you dreams and visions – it’s your job to pay attention.

4. You can feel it.

Sometimes you just know deep down that you’re destined for greatness. You’ve felt this way for a long time and it’s an unshakable feeling. It’s a feeling that makes you feel uneasy with being average and doing average things with average people. You have to listen to that. It’s your spirit’s way of leading you towards your destiny. God created you for greatness – and deep down you know it! Listen to that and never deny it.

5. You’re attracted to great things.

When you’re destined for greatness, you’re attracted to greatness. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re reading my blog – you were attracted to my greatness. We attracted each other. If you were a loser, you’d be attracted to other losers. See where I’m going with this? It’s no mistake or coincidence that you’re attracted to great things. Great things are in your future; your current situation probably doesn’t reflect it right now, but it’s there! So continue to dream big, think big, and seek big. It’s who you are and were created to be. If you can see it, you can achieve it. Whatever you’re seeing is attainable for you. You have to know this.

All these things, these signs, work together to push you towards your destiny and to continue to feed that feeling inside you that says you’re created for greatness. The key is to not ignore it. God is talking to you and trying to push you towards that which He created you for. You have to believe that. You have to be sensitive to it. Keep your eyes and ears open. God is speaking to you about your destiny. Are you listening?

With Love,

Quan Lanae Green

commandments

The 10 Fab Commandments

October 18, 2015

Okay, so I know you want to be fabulous. Who wouldn’t?! Fabulous people are crazy attractive and live amazing lives. We’re truly exceptional and extraordinary. There are really only two types of people in life: average people and fabulous ones. I don’t want you to be average; so, without further ado, I present to you The 10 Fab Commandments!

1. Thou Shalt Know Who You Are

Pretending to be someone else is not cute. There’s something about you that works; find what it is and work the hell out of it. Literally have a sit-down with yourself and write down all the things that make you who you are: your personality, your upbringing, your likes and dislikes. This will help you to see what sets you apart from everyone else. If you want to be fab, you have to be different. Discovering who you really are and letting that person shine will make you one fabulous chick!

2. Thou Shalt Get Counseling

Or at least have somebody to talk to about your problems. Let’s face it, we all have problems, unless you’re Beyonce. And even Beyonce has a crazy sister who beats up her husband in elevators and a father with three different baby mommas. There are all sorts of problems that need to be worked out: problems on the job, problems with finances, problems that stemmed from childhood. When these things go unchecked, they make you bitter and unhappy…and being bitter and unhappy is NOT fabulous!

3. Thou Shalt Not Feel Ashamed

If you’ve been following my blog, you probably know by now that I had a horrific childhood – one that I will talk about in detail in my upcoming book From Poughkeepsie to Paris: A Ghetto Girl’s Journey to Becoming a Fabulous Woman. There was a time when I was embarrassed and ashamed about the things that happened to me; but, as I got older (and followed Commandments #1 and #2) I began to accept who I was and used it to help others. Feeling ashamed will hold you back from being all that God has created you to be. When you’re fabulous, you don’t let anything hold you back; instead, you use everything to propel yourself forward.

4. Thou Shalt Be Happy

What makes you happy? Have you ever asked yourself that? You ever notice how fabulous people are always smiling? It’s like there’s an inner glow that surfaces. That inner glow is called “happiness”. When you’re happy, you make other people happy and comfortable around you. You become infectious and others will want to have what you’re having. Happiness is attractive. Ladies, if you’re looking for a man, one of the main things you should be is happy. Smile. Laugh. Be jovial. Everybody loves people like that. Become happy and they’ll love you, too!

5. Thou Shalt Think Highly of Thyself

Fabulous people know we’re fabulous and we know what makes us fabulous. Because we take inventory of our accomplishments and we hold onto every compliment we’re paid, we have a constant supply of belief and confidence in ourselves. And you should, too! When you think highly of yourself, others will begin to think highly of you as well…and they’ll treat you accordingly. Know that you’re worth every good thing and luxury this world has to offer. Require excellent service and high-quality accommodations. Expect the red carpet to be rolled out for you everywhere you go. The fabulous person knows they’re worth it. Want to be fabulous? Then you have to know you’re worth it, too!

6. Thou Shalt Handle Compliments Gracefully

Have you ever given someone a compliment only for them to turn around and discredit the very thing that you just complimented them on? It’s a turnoff and an indication that their self-esteem isn’t as high as it should be. Even if you’re having one of those days where you don’t feel topnotch or up to par, still handle compliments gracefully. If someone says, “Hey, girl! Your booty looks good in that dress!” Don’t humiliate yourself (or the compliment giver) by saying, “You think so, girl? I just gained 10 pounds and I feel like a slob!” No, ma’am. Don’t ever say that! Just simply say, “Thank you.” Be sure to smile and pay them a small compliment as well. Practice being graceful and elegant in all you do and you’ll find yourself in the fab society in no time!

7. Thou Shalt Soften Up

Growing up in the ‘hood, I had to be hard all the time. I never knew when I’d have to fight a group of girls or run from stray dogs. I wore Timberland boots, jerseys, and baggy clothes. It wasn’t until I moved to LA in 2001 that I discovered the beauty of femininity. Once I embraced everything that made me a girl, I began to feel free, and light, and flowy. Sometimes our femininity is robbed from us by our circumstances, by things that happened in our childhood, or by our environment. But, if you want to be fabulous, you have to soften up. Think all things pretty and pink and soft. Wear dresses. Put on some makeup. Embrace your femininity. God gave it to women for a reason. There’s power in your femininity!

8. Thou Shalt Make (And Keep) More Money

Fabulous people are high maintenance and it takes money to maintain ones fabulousness. It’s imperative that you learn how to spend your money wisely, make more money, save more money, and invest more money. You have to see money as a tool for you to live the life of your dreams. Attend seminars or take courses on finance and budgeting. You could even watch videos on smart money management and investing on YouTube. One thing I did starting off and even now is seek the advice of people who are doing better than me with their money. No matter how you go about it, you have to begin to educate yourself on how to become rich because, frankly speaking, you can’t be broke and fabulous at the same damn time. That’s called being faux-fabulous and being faux-fabulous is not cute!

9. Thou Shalt Travel

There are reasons why fabulous people love to travel: it makes us well-rounded, it increases our value, we meet amazing people, we learn different languages, and it makes us stand out from average people who never leave (and aren’t even interested in leaving) the city they grew up in. If you want to move up in status, the people you’ll encounter will be well-traveled; and, if you’re not, they’ll begin to question your credibility, knowledge, and ability to make things happen. Traveling is a huge part of the fabulous lifestyle. And, once you begin to travel more, you’ll find that you’ll begin to live life on an exceedingly higher, more fabulous level. Like a wise, fabulous woman once told me, “The more fabulous you get, the more fabulous you get!”

10. Thou Shalt Give Back

It’s truly a privilege to be fabulous. It means you have more than enough, you’re living a full life, and you’re blessed and favored beyond measure. God doesn’t allow you to become fabulous to feed your own ego and brag to the world about how great you are. A part of being fabulous is being humble enough to serve and give back to others. If you’ve done your work after reading Commandment #1, you would have identified something about yourself that you can use to be a blessing to others. There are certain things that you’re passionate and feel deeply about. For me, it’s homeless people, foster care children, and broken women. What about you? What pulls on your heartstrings? Find out and begin to volunteer at organizations that serve the people you’d like to give back to. You can also donate clothes, give money, or support charities. Whatever it is, you absolutely have to give back.

That, perhaps, is the most important commandment of them all.

With Love,

Quan Lanae Green