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Saturday, 4 January 2025
On this day of your life
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I believe God wants you to know ... ... that
imagination is your greatest gift. Do not be afraid to use it. Imagine yourself as
being okay right now. Totally okay. Imagine yourself as
Whole, Complete, and Perfect. With nothing to change,
nothing to "improve." Imagine your heart
as being open again, your life as if it were starting over
in the most important ways. Can you imagine
this? Then you have just
created Tomorrow. |
The Power of Affirmations (OM)
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2025: A Year to Flip the Narrative.
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Ever had that run of red traffic lights that make you late for work?
Or how about the long queue of people lining up for the train or the bus and you frustratingly watch as said train or bus leaves without you.
And I’m sure most of us have experienced that moment when you’re distracted and look up only to find an ex standing in front of you.
These moments can throw our stress cycle into overdrive. We become annoyed and often fall into the victim trap of “why me?” “Why do I always get the red lights?” “Why do these things always happen to me?”
Ever flipped the narrative? Ever changed the “why me” into “this is happening for a reason”?
Now I’m not suggesting that bad things don’t happen, and I’m not invalidating horrible experiences. Nor would I ever suggest we deserve any awful things that happen to us because sometimes really tragic and devastating stuff happens and finding any reason in those experiences can be near impossible. No, what I’m suggesting is when we flip the narrative, many times it can bring us a sense of comfort. Relief. Meaning. And even peace.
This became really clear to me on a crisp winter morning a few years ago when I was tasked with the job of dropping my son at the airport and remarkably and unusual for us, we were ready early and decided to leave and grab some food on the way.
The drive was fine, and as I headed home, thinking about all the things I needed to do, I realised the traffic had become really heavy. I could see flashing lights up ahead and assumed there had been an accident. As I neared the commotion, I could see two damaged cars. I turned the radio on and what I heard I will never forget. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. A drunk driver had jumped over the median strip and crashed with another car head-on, killing a heavily pregnant woman. She was driving on the same road, in the same lane, 10 minutes after our son and I. Ten minutes. Had we not been running early that morning, I shudder to think. There but for the grace of God go I.
I’m sure many of us have similar stories of times we were running late or early, often frustrated or frazzled, only to discover being early or late saved us from something.
Even if we have no idea what or if we have been saved from something, when we flip the narrative and calmly tell ourselves, “I’m getting all these red lights for a reason” rather than “why is this happening to me,” we centre ourselves. We feel more grounded. Our stress is reduced and we are more emotionally regulated.
A couple of years ago, I was working in the corporate world. Although I completed my masters in counselling, I was procrastinating on starting because I was in my comfort zone with work and it felt scary to leave and change my life. I had thoughts of seeing clients on an evening and weekends, but the universe had a different plan for me. The universe knew I could never fulfil my purpose or fully commit if I was still working full-time in a job I had been unhappy in for a really long time, a job that went against my core values. So it gave me a push. I was offered a retrenchment, which I accepted, and almost three years later, I’m doing what I love and loving what I do.
Sometimes things conspire to push you to make difficult decisions. Sometimes running early or late saves you. Sometimes trusting you are where you are meant to be, even if things are hard, is helpful and comforting.
What about people? What about the people we meet? The people who come into our lives? Here’s my theory on this.
>> Teachers: some people come into our lives to teach us. They teach us important life lessons. They help us to discover who we are at the core. They help us grow into the people we are meant to be. Sometimes the lessons can be brutal and it can seem unfair because they can be heartbreaking and painful. But what if we look at our ability to change and grow because of these lessons these people teach us?
>> Roadblocks: some people come into our lives and stop or delay us. Sometimes they delay us from small things, sometimes from big things, and it can seem like a bad thing, even a destructive thing. But what if we look at it as this delay was meant to happen for our highest good?
>> Guides: some people come into our lives to show us and remind us of what’s possible. They are the motivators. Perhaps we envy them because we want what they have and it can make us feel annoyed and jealous that we don’t have these things. But what if we see them as a symbol, a sign, that we too can achieve, if we focus and keep on track?
>> Angels: some people come into our lives to remind us we are loved. They encourage us to stay safe and true to ourselves. They keep us on our path. I know some people find it difficult to see or feel this at times, but what if you allowed the thoughts of the angels in your life to inspire you and allow you to feel held?
I have experienced all these people. The teachers are often the relationships we’ve had that have ended badly or sadly and we have the choice to become bitter, angry, resentful, or learn and grow. We have the choice to self-reflect and learn about ourselves. We have the choice to do the work, identify our triggers and our own toxic traits. These people and these situations can become the catalyst for change and transformation, if we let them.
The roadblocks sometimes stop us from running full speed into chaos. It may seem like they are stopping us from what we want to do, but sometimes what we want to do isn’t the right thing for us at that time. Sometimes we need to trust that there’s something bigger or higher looking out for us. And instead of being annoyed or thinking we’ll never get what we want, we have the choice to accept things will come in their own time, which is often the best time for us.
The guides are often seen as those who have the things we want. We can feel like we are missing out and don’t have the luck or good fortune that they have. We can be resentful toward these people, or we can be motivated. What if we view them like a glimpse of what’s possible? Of what we can achieve. Of the life we can have. We can be inspired rather than envious.
The angels are sometimes dismissed. They are the people who are brutally honest with us, which can be confronting, but they are loyal to the core. They sometimes know us better than we know ourselves. They see us, hear us, and validate our pain. They meet us where we are at but are always encouraging us to walk our own path and be true to who we are. They know our beauty, but they also know our messiness and love us anyway. They are those who walk beside us.
The world can be a hard and troubling place. But it can also be a magically beautiful place, and sometimes it’s simply perspective. We can be honest and see both the good and the bad, and when we are faced with hardship, confusion, and uncertainty, we can choose to pop ourselves into the Drama Triangle as the victim, or we can remember that sometimes things are happening to us for our greater good. Sometimes the path isn’t clear for a reason. And sometimes we need to learn, change, and grow. Sometimes feeling stuck is just a reminder that a shift is coming and feeling uncomfortable is your sign you need to change something. When we flip the narrative and view things differently, we start to move and transform.
Sometimes we need to slow down and smell the roses and other times we need to get off our ass and do something. When we tap into ourselves and listen, like really listen, we often hear what we need to hear.
Next time you get that run of red lights, flip the narrative and smile because they may have just saved you from something.
~
Weekly Inspiration (EC)
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Friday, 3 January 2025
On this day of your life
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I believe God wants you to know ... ... that how bad
things may look right now means nothing. It's how good you know they can
look with God's help that counts. Life has a habit of
changing itself completely around in 24 hours. Heck, in
24 minutes sometimes. Don't you dare give
up on Tomorrow because of the way things look
Today. Don't even think about it... |
Walking With Awareness (OM)
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