Check In/The Gifts

Hey yall!! Just checking in. I am still working on being transparent and stepping out of my comfort zone. I have a few things in the works, but I am not in a place to speak about them just yet. I will in due time though, I promise. :)

In the meantime, I have read and re-read this book by Brene Brown called The Gifts of Imperfection. It is a life-changer. It has changed my entire perspective on life and how I view myself in this world. I think everyone should read it and have this experience. Check it out when you get a chance and hit me up with your thoughts!



~Stay True

Get Uncomfortable

First off, I want to thank everyone for all of the feedback on my "Who Do I Want To Be?" post! It really means a lot. It is comforting to know that we are not alone on this journey to finding our purpose.

Speaking of comforting, one of the common denominators in books and articles that I have read urges us "purpose seekers" to get out of our comfort zones. Our comfort zone is what we know and where we feel safe. Hiding out in this safe haven can prohibit our growth and hold us back. Basically, if we do what we have always done, we will get what we have always gotten. If you think about it, the most successful people we know did not become great by doing what was safe or easy for them. They had to step out there and challenge themselves.

During my vision board party, I declared that my word for 2015 would be "Transparent." According to Merriam-Webster, transparent means "being open and honest; not secretive." Well HONESTLY, we can be open and honest about YOUR stuff, but we canNOT be open and honest about MY stuff because I do not like talking about my feelings, dealing with emotions, or verbalizing my fears and insecurities. LOL! Seriously, that is how I feel and have always felt. For me, being transparent means being vulnerable. And honaaaaaay, I got issues with being vulnerable so that is way out of my comfort zone.

   

Soooo my first (baby) step to stepping out of my comfort zone and into my transparent self was finally making others aware of this blog. For me, writing the blog posts is the easy part. I have written many posts because I like writing, it is therapy for me, and I was the only one who could see them. However, when you put it out there for all to see, you subject yourself to the opinions, criticism, and judgment of others (which I am not here for, lol) so I had never told anybody about the blogs. This time, I decided to do something different so I sent a text with the link to a few people, three to be exact. One was my mom, who is my biggest cheerleader, and of course she sent it to the whole world. I am not going to lie, I cringed for an hour after I found out that she did that. I am very uncomfortable, but I am still here and I am going to keep going and see where it takes me.


~ Stay True


"Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same."

Who Do I Want to Be?

While reading an article on Oprah's Life Class website, I ran across a question that I felt should have been quite simple to answer (and it probably is for a lot of people); however, it is THE most difficult question for me to answer. "Who do you want to to be?"

First of all, the question itself is confusing. Who do I want to be...when? Who do I want to be...when I grow up? Who do I want to be...professionally? Who do I want to be...personally? Like, I do not know. It is so confusing. You are asking too much of me! I DON'T KNOW!!



For some people, that question has been answered for them since the day they were born. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. They have known for a really long time who they wanted to be. They want to be a famous singer, a well-known actress/actor, a renowned surgeon, a successful educator, and the list goes on and on. These people have gifts that they were able to tap into and knew without a doubt who they wanted to be and what they wanted to do.

For me on the other hand, WHO I want to be is the million dollar question. I know WHAT I want to be:

I want to be great.
I want to be successful.
I want to be happy.

But WHO I want to be? Is there a difference? Here we go again. *shrugs* But sure, I have lots of talents (some that I will admit to and some that I will not), but nothing that I can quite put my finger on as my "thing." People close to me know that I am on a spiritual journey to find my "thing" or my purpose. I am obsessed with it. I stay praying, reading, seeking the answer to my life's purpose. Sometimes this journey gets lonely and frustrating, but I do have faith that I will one day know my calling with clarity.

But for now, the short and truthful answer is that I want to be whoever God has called me to be. I am patiently waiting, yet actively seeking.

To those of you who already know the answer to this question, be oh-so-thankful. It has been one of the most trying journeys ever, but I know it will also be as equally rewarding in the end.

Who do you want to be? How long have you known?

~Stay True

Emotional Collateral

Ever been involved in a break up and he packs up his things to leave? You notice that he is leaving some things out. You say, "You're forgetting your belt." He replies, "I'll get it later."

Notice that the things that he TRULY cares about are packed up and leaves with him. Only the small things are left behind as what I call "emotional collateral." Emotional collateral are things that he will use to get a foot back in the door after a few days. He will swear that he needs that belt so bad. This is how men play on our emotions. They know that moving on is ten times more difficult if we see them. Out of sight, out of mind. If we see them, we begin to remember all of the good things and good times we had. We also give them the opportunity to recite the sob story that they've had a month to come up with and rehearse. Oh and let's not forget the crocodile tears.

How do you stay free of emotional collateral? Insist that he gets his belt now or never. And stick to it.