On the NYC Train

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s November. Apple picking is done for the season. The elections came and went, and here we are. Amazing. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, like that girl whose podcast I always listened to, but then she said the same thing every time and would cry in every episode, and I had to take a break because I started to feel like her therapist. I want to share some things with you, but in a different way.

The year is coming to a close. The new year always brings us hope. We have an idea of who we want to be and all we want to do. (Or not…) We end up traveling, spending time with family, and sometimes, this time of the year brings back bad memories.

I want to give you some reminders, and I am going to look around the train and gather lessons for the end of the year from the failing and ever insane NYC subway.

Coming to you from the underground tunnels:

1.Projection

I just saw two 60-something-year-old sisters with faux orange skin, bleach blonde hair and tons of blue eyeshadow. The reminder is to be your best, natural, true self. Not sure if it is because I am getting older, but I feel more and more “right in my skin” (if that’s the expression. Is it? My English-as second-language self is anxiously questioning). What has felt right for me is: Less makeup (only spending like 7 minutes on that); my own skin; supplements until death do us part, and less wired and shaped undergarments. It’s weird. It’s refreshing. Be you. My point is, though, remember that how you project yourself has consequences. These sisters looked stiff and trying way too hard. They got the attention of the subway car, but it was negative attention. Let’s not make life more complicated than it is. You are great. Be you.

“It’s weird. It’s refreshing. Be you.”

2.People

There was a man who furiously walked past me, mumbling something to himself. For a minute, I said a prayer that he wouldn’t stab me or throw me on the train tracks. (Sounds dramatic, but I assure you, you would have done the same). The train is the perfect place to find angry people. It just is. To avoid anger, we are all either staring at our phones or the headphones are in as we listen to that podcast of the crying girl (the one I mentioned before), or we are reading our New Yorkers with furious focus, so we can catch up. When the mariachi band interrupts, there is a collective sigh of irritation, a slight smile, and then, we resume. Let’s make a commitment to not ignore each other. It’s fine to have your alone moments— to read and do your thing (I need them). But let’s always be present. Let’s not give up on people, and let’s not think we are alone in the world. Being alone is easy, but there is no growth in easy. Acknowledgement, even with the fear of death, can be all someone is looking for.

“Being alone is easy, but there is no growth in easy.”

3.Wellness

Winter is coming. I got away with sheer tights today, but oh man, it’s coming. The black pumps and mules will be put away, and I will live in my boots for the rest of my days (just kidding— just until next July). I see the subway poles and stuff we all touch, and one word comes to mind: Immunity. May we build and protect our immunity from the germs we will all share when we will be coughing on each other, in a month. And let’s build our immunity for the bad and negative thoughts and energy that threaten to invade our minds and souls. Sanitize that.

“Sanitize that.”

4.Patience

You develop the patience of a saint in NYC. I think we New Yorkers think of ourselves as impatient because sometimes our frustration eats us alive inside, but we are actually very patient. There is no other way to navigate and survive. There are masses of people, and sometimes, you get trapped behind the person with the cane going up the stairs or helping the woman with the stroller up the same said stairs. It’s a way of life. You learn to just be like “deep breath.” “Fix it Jesus.” We need more of this patience as our life unfolds. Sometimes, we have to help someone carry his/her burden. Sometimes, we need to go slowly because there is brokenness, but one thing is certain, we make it to our destination.

“Sometimes, we need to go slowly because there is brokenness, but one thing is certain, we make it to our destination.”

5.Scent

Always smell good. Enough said. Dishonesty smells. Be as honest as the notes of Chanel N•5. Bold, beautiful and so timeless. Secrets, double lives, shenanigans— that smells as good as that Walmart imitation fragrance that fades in about twenty minutes. Smell is not something you can hide. Honey, we can all see it and smell it. You are only fooling yourself. When you smell bad, people gag. Same goes for your character.

“When you smell bad, people gag. Same goes for your character.”

6.Accountability

I hate when people leave their trash, and then, the subway floor gets sticky or wet. Nothing beats the tsunami of spilled coffee or soda you see making its way down the subway car. Clean up your mess. If you can’t contain the spill and the damage is done, at least apologize to the car and take your empty cup with you. (Literally and figuratively).

“If you can’t contain the spill and the damage is done, at least apologize to the car and take your empty cup with you.”

7.Share moments

Do not come and sit to eat your egg and cheese sandwich next to me at 7:30 AM, on the slowest train in NYC. But yes, we share a lot of moments. We eat breakfast together, put on makeup together, we smile at each other when a cute kid says something adorable in an extremely loud voice, we witness fights and share our expressions as the couple exits the train, we hold the door open for that commuter who looks like he or she will have a breakdown if he/she misses that train (even if we piss off the train conductor), we cry along with the crying girl in the aforementioned podcast, while staring out the train window— we have moments. Make memories. The routine may seem lame, but these can be the most interesting moments that we remember. It’s how we build a life.

“It’s how we build a life.”

8.Sleep

Sleep at home. I can’t tell you how many Asian men have fallen asleep on my shoulder (not intentionally) (not sure why they are all Asian— it’s a thing). Sleep is important. We don’t get enough of it. Sleeeeeeeeep.

9.Ads

There are a memorable one or two, but usually, I don’t remember the ads because I ignore them. Block out the noise and everything crying out for your attention. Ignore the noise and remember the cute stuff.

10.Hurt

I have been elbowed in the face and hit in the eye, unintentionally (I can only assume as they were strangers) by people taller than me. It happens. People will hurt us. Sometimes, they don’t even realize it. I have had to just keep moving and run to court, even after feeling like I got punched in the eye by a total stranger. You blink back the tears and keep on moving. Nothing can keep you down. (And learn to duck— it’s a good skill to have).

“Nothing can keep you down.”

All right, this is my stop. I am getting off. Until next time, my fellow commuters.

Choose Life

“We are impacted by the choices of the people who came before us; we are impacted by the choices our parents made, in fact, there’s some things about who you are that you are that because someone chose that for themselves, and they passed it on to you— and a lot of times, it’s the worst of us (…)

I wish my father had chosen me over alcohol, and I’ll wish that ‘til the day I die. I wish he had chosen to stay, instead of run. I’ll wish that until my last breath because here’s the reality— those moments, those defining moments in our lives, some of them are not the choices we made, but the choices that are made that impact us.

So then, you have to step up into a new moment and decide that you’ll choose a moment more powerful than their moments, in your life.

Choose life so that you and your children may live; now, here is the beautiful thing— if they can pass onto us the worst of them, then we can choose life and pass on the best of us. ‘That you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him.’ This is what it looks like when you live in a relationship with God (…) ‘For the Lord is your life.’ (…)

God can’t give you life apart from Himself because God does not give life. God is life, and the only way you step into life is to step into Him. (…) If He chose you, who cares who doesn’t choose you.”

Chasing Daylight: Choose to Live, Erwin McManus

“God can’t give you life apart from Himself because God does not give life. God is life.”

Be True

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By: Gabriela Yareliz

Thérèse Desqueyroux. Does that name ring a bell? Thérèse Desqueyroux is François Mauriac’s most respected novel. It was turned into a film with the brilliant Audrey Tautou starring as Thérèse. 

Indulge me.

Spoiler and storyline breakdown (it was published in 1927– so if you haven’t read it by now— *eye roll*): It’s about a young woman who is a free spirit. How free, is often debated. She grows up and marries a family friend, who is a financially well off, emotionally unavailable man who can add on to her own wealth. She marries him, and basically fulfills her wifely duties. She is quiet when she is expected to be, and she speaks when called upon. She had a child and forms part of the inner family gossip circle and high society. Her husband’s family is unsettlingly unpleasant.

Throughout, she begins to acknowledge what has been clear to her all along: her choices have not been true to who she is. Long story short, her husband has health issues and through his medication and treatment, she almost kills him by overdose. Yep. Super crazy. Interestingly enough, she isn’t sure why she has almost killed her husband (until later on). It’s a French novel, ok? If you want a real dark tale, read Le Rouge et le Noir by Stendhal. I remember it was one of my college love interest’s favorite books, so we read it together, and boy was that unromantic. I remember writing him a long letter about it and my analysis. He was so amused by my frustration that he wallpapered his French dorm room walls with my letter about Stendhal. Anyway, I digress.

The book opens with her trial, and her husband’s false testimony saves her (and their reputations), but the family subsequently keeps her in the house like a prisoner; she is only allowed to go in public for show, with her husband, for mass, on holidays, for funerals and weddings. At the end, her husband “releases” her, and she moves to Paris, health and spirit renewed. 

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Why am I sharing the disturbing tale of Thérèse? Something about this story has always stayed with me, and it’s the fact that we can all be Thérèse. (And no, I don’t mean her attempted murder; instead, I mean what drove her to her desperation).

How many people have you seen out there who have dreams, and the dreams are not acted on? Or people who rely on false realities and social expectation, when making important life choices. Some make themselves prisoners of other’s capriciousness, overbearingness or emotional unavailability. Some of us live as slaves to a system, whether it be the economy, politics, cultural expectations, work force or society, in general. 

This isn’t about quitting your 9-to-5, or a piece against marriage or some piece justifying her almost poisoning of her husband. No way. That was crazy. That is wrong and always will be wrong. 

This is about a conversation Thérèse has with her husband (wonderfully depicted in the film), where he asks her if she hated him. He wants to know what her motivation was for her strange actions. She simply said that she didn’t want to live just for show, as a puppet. She was tired of being a public spectacle that wasn’t truly seen, loved or understood but just fulfilled “her duty” which was dictated by everyone but her. I think anyone can relate to that.

In the film, there is a scene where she sees a small beautiful bird, and it is dead on the ground. She looks at it and sees herself. 

For Thérèse, in her time, marriage was the jail of every woman who was treated like property. Today, we have other prisons. The thing is, in a time where media and technology, plus information flowing through it consumes us, we have all these values and expectations and responsibilities competing for our attention and demanding our submission. 

Thérèse’s story reminds me about how important it is to always be mindful of our hearts and how we feel, and whether we are living in God’s purpose for our lives. Are you happy where you are? And if you are not, what are you willing to do to get what you want?

“There are only three requirements for success. First, decide exactly what it is you want in life. Second, determine the price that you are going to have to pay for the things you want. And third, and this is most important, resolve to pay that price.” H.L. Hunt 

When looking at Thérèse, I think she thought she knew what she was supposed to want, but it was at odds with who she was and what she truly wanted. She focused on external things and factors, rather than her heart. 

Are you happy with who you are? Do you have a dream? What is driving your decisions? Are you passive? Or are you actively pursuing? Are you doing things to appear a certain way? Who are you trying to please? 

Our mindset is so important. 

“Your input determines your outlook. Your outlook determines your output, and your output determines your future.” Zig Ziglar

What is your input? What are you doing each day to challenge yourself? To inspire yourself? To feed your true essence and to honor where you are and who you are? Do you worry more about others? Do you pay more attention to your fears rather than God’s promises? Do you respect yourself? How do you speak to yourself? 

In the end, we are all that colorful beautiful bird. We are all Thérèse. Each person faces the same choices. The difference is whether we become the crushed bird who can no longer fly or whether we will be the one that keeps soaring and contributing beauty to the world.

This is all about where we want to go. This is not about where we have been. Dr. Stephen Covey states: “Live out your imagination, not your history.”

Tonight, think. What is in your heart? Let Thérèse’s story always remind you that you are meant to be free. It’s a cautionary tale. (And in France, perhaps just a tale). You are meant to be free. The minute you forget that, you have forgotten that you can fly. Be true. 

“You are meant to be free. The minute you forget that, you have forgotten that you can fly. Be true.”

Let’s take a page from Gabrielle Chanel who said, “I decided who I wanted to be, and that is who I am.”

Why Can’t I?

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I felt triggered today, and a bit more emotional than usual. There are days, sometimes, that remind us of how cruel and unconventional life has been. It happens.

It was one of those days. I know, not super inspiring, but I am being real. You haven’t felt that way? I cried it out of my system. Don’t worry. Crying is such an amazing cleanse. We all have those days where we feel like we are still in the place where the bus to hell dropped us off. Today was mine.

And then, unexpectedly at the end of the day, I saw the lyrics to this song printed in my handwriting on the side of a bag that I made with my best friend in junior high. We wrote all over this vinyl tote, with Sharpie. The lyrics to this song were that important to my junior high self. This was before my parents’ divorce, before I moved across the country, and before my dad and I didn’t talk for almost a decade. Before childhood was essentially over. I was still a kid with stars in her eyes. This was probably one of the last things I loved as a true kid, along with the Hilary Duff Metamorphosis CD. Ha.

I played this song tonight after not hearing it for years, and it’s like the world stopped. I felt like I was 12. It was the time before everything was so hard, before the trauma and baggage. Me. Just me. The essence of me. It brought the biggest smile to my face. It was me, little me, who has somehow survived it all, and she was smiling. I made it. I am still here. And I still like Liz Phair.

What reminds you of those carefree days? Listen to it. This isn’t about nostalgia, it’s about remembering the essence of you. Just smile. And never forget that you survived; you thrived; and you are still standing.

Autumnal Asks

Doing this fun tag from the fabulous Tumblr platform. It’s making the rounds, and it’s a rainy, cozy, autumn Sunday. So, why not? Let’s do it.

[Image via @kendalljenner]

 

lantern – how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

High school. She sat behind me in English class. I thought she was loquacious and always eating (accurate :)) She would make fun of this weird blue camouflage Old Navy bag I would use as a lunch box. Not sure what she thought of me at first, but she is genuine. You never have to wonder too long what she is thinking. She made me live adventurously. You know, she encouraged me to eat the cookies (I have always been pretty health conscious, so this is about as wild as I got).

frost – if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

You are human. Don’t forget that.

maple – is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

Cutting hair. (Other than the tragedies I did to my own bangs).

harvest – what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

Sira Quiroga, from the book El Tiempo Entre Costuras (The Time in Between), also made into a series for Antena3. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. She is based on a real person, and she lived in one of the most difficult periods of our history. She did it with grace, boldness, principle and passion. Not sure if I am like her, but I want to be like her.

fireside – if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

I am happy with my wardrobe. I am a simple person. I gladly wear and style anything someone gifts me. I wear navy a lot. I am a big fan of the Sézane/ & Other Stories aesthetic.

cider – a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

Mushrooms

amber – share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

Unsure of what exactly I believe in that is an unpopular opinion. Other’s opinions don’t change the opinions I hold that are rooted in truth and principle.

fog – how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

Excellent. *rolling the eyes* I am small and I can run fast and climb things. Being short is excellent training.

jack-o-lantern – if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

No one. I am happy being me.

spice – have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?

Not personally. Maybe a plant nursery, though.

orchard – share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

Apple picking, for sure.

crow – which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

I wish I could do math faster and in my head.

bonfire – describe your dream house.

Simple, uncluttered, old world charm, filled with lots of books, plants, and love.

cinnamon – if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

1904 in the Hudson Valley in NY. I want to be Samantha from American Girl. *grin*

cobweb – (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

I miss the beautiful people. Things were certainly more simple.

cranberry – what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

My smile.

maize – share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

Too many. I live in NYC.

quilt – how do you take your tea (or coffee)?

Straight. No sugar.

pumpkin – do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?

Inherently sinful. Anything good in us is a reflection of God in us.

moonlit – are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

Pretty orderly. I like to clean. I am Monica Geller, minus her crazy closet.

flannel – have you ever gone on a bad date?

Sure. The guy was interviewing me and asking me resume questions. Weird.

cocoa – if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?

I like my hair, I just need to figure some things out regarding making it look a bit better. I am still learning.

ghost – is there someone that you miss having in your life?

I had a closer friendship with a childhood friend. I miss her, but times change, life changes, and we do what we can with what we have!

If you want to share, answer a question or two from the tag in the comments!

xx

Next Level

“If you want to go to that next level, cut out negative sh**.” Gary Vaynerchuk

That means leaving behind negative

people

energy

conversations

forces

projections

and

excuses

complaints

It adds nothing and subtracts everything.

Remember, you find what you are looking for.

-GY

The Roots of Relational Failure and Success

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I really believe that a lot of healing comes from reframing things. And I don’t mean reframing things to look better than they actually were, but I mean reframing things so we can see what actually happened. Often, when we remove ourselves from the lens, we see things more clearly, and we can deal with the hurt in our souls a lot better. When we see what the truth and root of the matter is, a lot of things can make sense.

I have been talking a lot about accountability, values and relationships recently, which is something society at large lacks so much of. (Politics seems to provoke these topics). They affect everything, especially our relationships with others.

One of the greatest things we can do for ourselves is be self-aware and work on our own baggage and characters and how it affects how we relate to others. I have caught myself triggered or going down a line of reasoning that I later reflect on, and I realize my reaction didn’t match a situation as much as it matched a fear deeply entrenched in me from a past hurt.

When I come to these realizations, I often apologize after spending time in quiet reflection and prayer thinking about how I can heal that, especially when I am triggered or provoked by attitudes or words I can’t control. The truth is my own reactions are what are in my control, and I take full responsibility for that.

Aren’t relationships rods that poke us, and when they hit a bruise, we whimper from the pain? Sometimes, I have felt foolish, not for my initial reaction but for being self-aware about it. Is it stupid to call yourself out on your own behavior that you are striving so hard to fix and begging God to transform? Does it sound too I-am-my-own-therapist?

I felt sort of foolish for a good day or two this week after calling myself out on something, and it’s a familiar feeling I have felt when I have discerned my own flaws and spoken about that discernment. My feeling of foolishness or perhaps shame went away when I heard the quote below, and while the situation doesn’t apply to me and it may not apply to you (the infidelity she speaks of), the underlying principle and talk about baggage applies to all:

“To my queens out there who have been cheated on by their men— it’s not your fault. Stop making it your fault. To my kings out there that have been cheated on by their women, stop making it your fault. Yes, women cheat, too. Now, here is the thing— sex is one of the strongest forces in the universe that we have to deal with.

This is about self-mastery. It’s not even about what is going on in the relationship. This is about self-mastery. Ok, so if you think just because somebody says they love you or you think just because they want to be in a relationship with you that that’s gonna dissolve all of their traumas they come with, you know what I am saying, or that they are gonna know how to deal with their traumas, nah. People are going to mess up.

So here is the thing— make sure you are with someone who is interested in mastering themselves and everything they come with. I know that there is a lot of pain that comes from infidelity, but relationships are a spiritual endeavor. Just make sure you are with someone who is worth it.” Jada Pinkett Smith

“Relationships aren’t about being with someone who is perfect, but being with someone who is constantly trying to master themselves.” Julianne Hough

So, there it is. I realized that my desire to master myself and all I carry in me, it isn’t foolish, even if it is seen as strange or treated with a certain detachment by others, and even if I repeat the mistake on my way to healing the hurt that serves as the root. In fact, that is what we are all supposed to be doing.

I agree that relationships are a spiritual endeavor. They fail because of spiritual things, like: lack of values and lack of temperance (self-control) and not caring. They fail because of all of these things, which means it may be logical to think they succeed when we do the opposite. They succeed when we have values, when we have self-control, and when we care. Most importantly, a thing to remember about spiritual endeavors is that it starts with ourselves, not with anyone else.

What needs a reframe in your mind? What is the root of your matter?

New Love

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Finding love is such a mindf***, as they say. Relationships are hard work, but I think the hardest thing of all that determines the rest of the story is finding that person. Who. People come together, oftentimes, for shallow reasons, (not always). But regardless of why or how they come together, the following is always true: whether it lasts rests on character.

I recently saw in the news that Vincent Cassel (51) wed Tina Kunakey (21). (We will not discuss the age gap– that is another post for another day).

I was surprised. I had been disconnected from monsieur Cassel, and I hadn’t seen him with anyone other than his ex-wife, a favorite icon of mine who has made many appearances on this blog, Monica Bellucci. (Seen above, and yes, I still want to age as well as her).

It has always fascinated me how, in human stories, we gather strength and try again. Whether it’s in love, life– anything. We can rise from anything and try again. We can be at the lowest low, and a year later, be continents away from where we started (figuratively and literally).

No matter what your story is, it’s important to value the new starts in life. It shouldn’t be cheapened or treated as unimportant. It shouldn’t be clouded by the past. It should be embraced. If you are going to be happy, 1) Get up; 2) Make sure you never settle; 3) Celebrate the new, well; 4) Be happy.

In this life, many shuffle along numb, defeated and distracted. But not you, no. Rise again. Wear that lavender shirt. (I see you, Cassel). Smile. When you get that second chance, show the world what it means to live.

An August Photo Diary

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Hello, friends. Here we are. At the end of another month. It has been one of a lot of growth for me, I feel. One of those months where you feel the way gum looks when you lift up your shoe, and it is stretched into little strings. Expanded.

Here are some of the things that have been on my mind:

Change

“If you are not changing yourself, then you are not intelligent.” Benjamin P. Hardy

I was talking to a friend who was telling me that they were talking to another friend who has known me since college, and that apparently, I have changed. (Confusing much?)

At first, I was like, I really haven’t changed. Maybe we always see ourselves as stagnant boring little creatures, who run on a hamster wheel, but actually, then I realized I have changed. I have changed a bunch. I have lived through so much since then, and grown, absorbed and stretched. And growth is always characterized as a positive thing (unless it’s a bad medical thing), but change often has a foreboding and negative connotation that looms over it. Sometimes, it means unknown.

If we aren’t changing, we aren’t growing. Albert Einstein once said that “the measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

I was reading a piece by the brilliant Benjamin P. Hardy, who asked, “What have been the main 10 events in your life, and what impact did they have on you?” (Something like that). I found this to be interesting. It’s so important to always be moving forward and never back.

Sometimes, it’s easier to see how others have changed. But, it’s worth pausing at times, and realizing how much we have changed. It’s also important to think of the ways in which we desire to change.

Next, it’s so important to remember that, as Mr. Hardy explains, we aren’t kind people who then do unkind things. No. Actually, whether we are kind people is determined in our actions. If we repeatedly do unkind and selfish things, guess what, we aren’t kind. We are what we do and how we behave. Sometimes, we deceive ourselves, and we think we are kind or tolerant or smart, yet our behaviors show the exact opposite.

It’s such a reminder that as we analyze who we are and who we want to be, we should not just be reflecting on our own lofty ideals that we may agree with but on our actual behavior. Our behavior is the thing that truly reflects what is in our character.

“Your personality doesn’t shape who you are. Your behaviors shape who you are.” Benjamin P. Hardy

“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” Paulo Coelho

Responsibility

“You can’t be passive. You must be innovative, creative, and generous. You’ve got to work a few years like few people will, so you can spend the rest of your life like few people can.” Benjamin P. Hardy

It’s one of those seasons where I feel I have my head down, and I am working on a bunch of stuff that is really important to me. It’s a season of setting up foundations. It doesn’t mean you adopt a workaholic around-the-clock lifestyle. No, even in these seasons, we need balance. My point is that sometimes we need those seasons because it means we are taking responsibility for our lives.

It’s so important to take responsibility for the life you want because at the end of the day, you are the only one responsible. If you want to establish a savings account, you need to save, and that may mean sacrifices. If you want to start a business, that may mean putting in extra hours, at first. If you want to get married, then make sure you have something to bring to the table.

So many times, people have a tendency to blame others for what is happening, when so many of their own choices have landed them there. It’s important to remember that others’ circumstances and resources are different than your own perhaps, and that each person is responsible not only for their present but for their future.

If you want certain things, you have to work for them. Because at the end of the day, a prince may will not ride in to save you, your parents won’t bail you out or help (nor do they have to), and no one will put in the hours for you.

If you want something, you work for it. If others don’t agree or they want certain things out of you that you simply can’t give at the moment, well, that’s too bad. So often, everyone lives as they please but they want everyone else to fit into their world and schedule and ideas as to how things should be done. Don’t be guilted into fitting into someone else’s agenda, even if there is nothing wrong with it, at face value. My point is work for what you want and do what you have to do. Everyone wants something, but you should also have what you want (and get it through hard work). So, work for it. You are the only one responsible to make it happen. It’s usually when we allow others to make decisions for us or make us fit into where we don’t want to be that we start blaming others. Sadly (and fortunately), it doesn’t work that way; you have a voice. It’s always your choice.

Which leads to…

Detachment and Self-care

It’s important to respect yourself and take care of yourself. Take it from someone who works in a field where people always need something out of you. Take time to do what you want to do. Take time to rest. Take time to eat, uninterrupted. Take time to walk outside. Key words: take the time.

Actions and Dreams

“The greatest dreams are always unrealistic.” Will Smith

Set concrete goals and work toward them. Invest in them. Recently, I have invested time and resources in the ministry Modern Witnesses. It continues to grow into a beautiful community, and its beautiful because of the women in it.

I am wrapping up a book, etc., etc. Everyone has a dream. I have a list, you have your own list. Set the bar high. Tell others (accountability). Set a deadline. Put in the work.

Always have the high expectation. People who tell you not to expect much set themselves up for mediocrity and lack of accountability. People don’t like being held accountable (look at politics and organizational leadership). But, ahhhh the things that would change were people held to high expectations. Some would lose their positions altogether.

“Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high.” Jim Rohn

Investing in your dreams is a way in which you invest in yourself. If you feel stagnant, what is something you could add into your life that would feed your creativity and contribute to what you give to the world?

Invest in Others

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Winston S. Churchill

Lastly, I always think that our purpose in life is to be reflections of God Himself. That means serving others. This isn’t a call to wildly fill up your schedule (refer back to ‘detachment and self-care’). It’s a call to always remember that “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” (John Wooden quote).

“In the end, we are only whom we have empowered.” Dan Sullivan

Conclusion

So that is what has been floating in this brain of mine. I know so many of you have written to me regarding dreams and business plans you have. I just wanted to share my own thoughts and how I have been growing in the past month. These aren’t things I have mastered, but they are things I want and need in my life. I am putting in the work. I truly believe that anything apart from that is dysfunction. As you get older, and start forming your world, it’s so important to make sure it’s the world and purpose God wants you focused on. And if it is, green light and go. He will empower you and continue teaching you along the way.

Everything starts with us and who we are. If our behavior aligns with the character we want, our desires, execution and contribution will, too.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi