PAIN, FOR THE SAKE OF PROGRESS

Have you ever found yourself too comfortable to grow?  I think at some point, we all have. Destiny, sometimes, seems too big to obtain, and at times too far to reach; at least without a little help. We hide in our 9-5’s, we get comfy in stagnant relationships, and at times, our gifts wither away.

I am finding that God, or the universe, (or whoever YOU call this higher power), will sometimes FORCE us into destiny, because if we continue at our own pace, we will never get there.  Reflect on your life. Are there any instances where you can say “I didn’t succeed in this, until I failed at that”? Maybe you lost a job, maybe you lost a possession, dealt with eviction..and it wasn’t until you were forced to be broken at the bottom, that you were able to trek to the top.  Maybe there is opportunity in opposition. I have heard plenty of entrepreneurs say that they would have never committed themselves fully to their craft, if they hadn’t been faced with some type of opposition. Which in turn, worked out..in the end.  In the middle of a thing, it is hard to see a happy ending.  So we rarely see the good in anything that makes us feel bad.

Maybe we should change our perspectives on what we call opposition or pain. Maybe these hard times are nothing but canals to the better. More less, they are routes to the front yard of destiny.  So before you spend any more time, wallowing or grieving for the place in which you were comfortable, perhaps you should take this time to see the hidden opportunity within the pain.  Newly divorced? This could be the perfect time to go back to school, like you always said you wanted to do. Recently fired? This could be the time you need, to perfect your craft and present it to the world. Evicted? Maybe this is exactly what you needed, to relocate…to leave that dead place.. or that dead relationship.

I’m not saying we can’t feel, or experience pain. You should always allow yourself to feel. What I suggest is that above the loud sounds of weeping, resentment and pain, you try to hear what the future could be saying.. and step, accordingly.

Love & Light

CAN'T PLEASE 'EM ALL

Hopefully you’ve learned by now, that you can’t please everyone. You can rock your fur, but then PETA would be pissed. You can rock your plus sized halter top, but then someone would complain that one of your stomachs wasn’t tucked in (insert angry emoji here__________). You can do your comedy, but then someone would complain about the sex joke. You could rock your natural hair, but then someone would insist that “natural ain’t for everybody”.

I have never understood why people felt the need to always voice their opinions; especially the negative ones.  Just because you think it, doesn’t mean you speak it.  I keep a lot of my thoughts to myself…hence the migraines, I guess.

You can shape your life around what you think may please everyone…your religion, your style of dress, the language you use, and there will still be someone with something to say! I have seen the most seemingly pure people be criticized for the most miniscule things like their finger nail polish, or their favorite song. I have seen people who never bothered anyone, be bashed for simply ‘doing their own thing’.  WHERE DO THESE CRITICS COME FROM?  Most of the time, they come from behind a keyboard. You’d think they have such expertise in, well everything- fashion, hair, religion, life, sex, money, beauty, culture. When really, a lot of them just excel in typing (not to be construed as grammar, we’ve all seen the errors).

The sad part is, a lot of us will edit who we really are, in an effort to be accepted by people who have no intention on accepting us anyway.  Some people just don’t like you. Period. If you lost 10 pounds, converted religions, dyed your hair, and learned how to play 2 more instruments, SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, WOULD STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

Do you know that no matter what you do, or how you do it, there will always be an itchy scalp, velcro strap shoe wearing, chapped lipped critic somewhere near?  It’s true!  So before you photoshop the real you, in an attempt to gain acceptance, or to quiet down the naysayers, how about you just do you? Yes, there will be critics and haters, but it comes with the territory. What doesn’t come with the territory, is a watered down version of yourself, who’s afraid to step on the toes, of people who could care less about your feet anyway…..

Do you, you do it best.