Authentically Me

This past week has been full of many highlights in the lead up to my birthday. I am not big on celebrations but for a change, I decided to embrace my birthday this year making it everything I wanted it to be starting with taking some time out to rest and move at a slower pace. I chose most of my gifts and how I wanted to spend my day.

Birthdays, work anniversaries and new year are key times to reflect on one’s progress and this year is no different. My work anniversary happens to be the day before my birthday and this year, it also  coincided with getting an all clear result from the three yearly mammogram check up. It was like getting an early birthday present for which I was very grateful and even if I got nothing else, a clean bill of health was more than enough.

As I reflect over the past year, it has been full of challenges and opportunities, ups and downs including disappointments but there has always been more than enough to be thankful for. I have made new friends and lost touch with others, started new initiatives whilst slowing others down. My biggest growth in the past year has happened because I am ‘authentically me’ with no need to prove myself to anyone, beg for approval or love. I know who I am and I love all of me – warts and all. I love the journey of transformation and who I am becoming on the way there. Beyond all that, I know I am loved in all the ways that matter and I do my best to love other in in the same way.

I have learnt many lessons including the following:

Know The Truth

According to the Bible, knowing the truth sets one free; there is freedom in knowing the truth about any situation. The truth means you can finally work on any challenges. A problem known and understood is one that is already half solved.

What is the truth about who you are? The answer will help you to define your purpose, goals and values. What is the truth about your vision? The answer to this will help you manage your time and resources to enable you to focus on what will help you achieve your vision.

What is the truth about your resources? The answer to this should hopefully help you to manage them. Knowing what you can or can’t afford to buy is useful information. The truth about your job will help you to address issues with your career plans and hopefully your passion.

The truth about your relationships and friendships will stop you from deluding yourself thinking you have what you don’t have. The truth about your identity will either make or mar you especially if you can’t face or accept it. There is power, strength, freedom and peace in knowing the truth. Deep down, we all know when we are living a lie, listening to a lie, believing or accepting a lie but many times, we are afraid of opening pandora’s box preferring to bury our heads in the sand.

‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’. Who is ‘Truth’? What is Truth? What truth do you need to know? What lies do you need to be free from? What is hidden that needs the light to be shone on it? Peace, freedom and joy are all on the other side of the truth and they are worth fighting for no matter the cost.

Embrace Opportunities

Many opportunities are missed because we are often not paying attention to them. There are problems to be solved but we mostly overlook them preferring to complain about the inconveniences they cause. Opportunities are knocking, looking for people to open their hearts; we need to be ready to embrace them when they come up.

Have Faith, Miracles Do Happen

A few months ago, I was approached by The Taste Awards in America to be a judge and for a few weeks I thought it must be a scam making me hesitant to click on the links they sent. A part of me could not believe how they found me when there were millions of qualified people.

Eventually I realised it was genuine and I was glad to judge the categories allocated to me. Since then, I have had offers that sounded too good to be true but they were. Miracles do happen, doors open up and lives continue to be transformed. We need to be cautious but we’ve got to trust and walk in faith and not fear.

Gratitude Is The name Of The Game

Out of all the habits we can form, one of the most important is gratitude. Choosing to be grateful in all circumstances and remembering to recount the many blessings that we have no matter what challenges we face will help us to have a positive attitude to life.

Gratitude brings balance to our lives helping us to not despair.

Keep Hope Alive

As long as there is life, there is hope. Sometimes, when you have done everything you can, you must learn to stand and wait in faith and hope knowing that change and the answer will eventually come. It might not be when or how we expect the answer but it will come as we wait for it. The stance we take as we wait has to be one of hope, expectation and positivity. It has to be from a place of knowing we are loved, deserve to be loved and nothing good will be withheld from us.

Opportunities can come in the form of new friends who open our eyes to new goals, initiatives and ways of thinking to help make our dreams come true.

As I celebrate the gift of another year, I am grateful for everything; I promise to keep showing up and reporting for duty to accomplish what I was created to be and do. Thanks for reading and sharing my post. See you next week.