What did I learn today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Arrogance left and wisdom and humility came in, lessons come from everywhere, when you are holding on to something it holds on to you L.Anthony Watkins Brutally honest, some of us are addicted to external validation, being right about everything,  and to having things our own way so that we can feel safe. To say whatever you want to whomever you want without any regard for the necessity or appropriateness of our speaking!  To be seen and heard at the same time! Addicted to being unacceptable and guilty and you don’t even know it! It is easy to point out in others the things we deny, dismiss, avoid, excuse , resist acknowledging that we actually believe are true about us Ask –What do I need? What’s in my way? What needs to go? Then go do it! No excuses, no procrastination! Peace!

Choose action over thought, and love yourself to the light Maxie Mc Coy Sharing a very dear lesson to me below, thanks Maxie... You've yet to figure it out. Sometimes, you're not even sure which way is up. It's always a few steps forward and a couple steps back these days. And shit, are these steps even the right ones? How are you supposed to know? Are you just twisting in circles? Or worse, are you going back toward where you started? The pressure to figure it out is massive. On any given day you're wondering who you're supposed to be. Which job is the right one. If you've made the right decisions. If this person you love is worth the long haul. If you should be doing more. If you should have it all together at this age. What am I even doing with my life . If you've thought it. Muttered it. Or spent hours in bed crushed by it. Listen up. You, my sweet soul of a human, are not lost. You never have been. You're simply expecting

The average human life, we see, is trying to avoid and run from the inner toil of fear and the threat of misery. Everyone's self esteem is threatened both within and without. We have become afraid of our inner feelings because they hold such a massive amount of negativity that we fear that we would be overwhelmed by it if we were to take a deeper look, we have three major ways of handling feelings, suppression, expression and escape - David R Hawkins Feel, feel it all. A great lesson Feel it all meant encouraging the feeling I was experiencing at the moment to rise to the surface and respond (not react) to it in a healthy way You see, I blocked them out, I let it fester but feelings buried alive never die And what I have learnt in the process of feeling it, feeling it all is that Ideal with it and I can let it go and make room for something else, I feel lighter, I feel healthier, there are no headaches, back pains, migranes, flu like symtoms, there is me dealing with the fee

Let us resolve today to ask for what we really want, and only this, that we may spend this day in fearlessness, without confusing pain with joy, or fear with love. (1:9) ACIM Asking for what you really want when you are a "people pleaser" is a challenge Asking for what you really want when you are coming from a space of "not enoughness" is a challenge Asking for what you really want when the fear is clouding your mind is a challenge Asking for what you really want when self belief is low is a challenge But ask anyway Find the courage and ask In the book "The Four Agreements" Mr Ruiz talks about having the courage to ask for what you want and do not assume. There is also a saying that when you assume you make an ass out of you and me- and I'm sure you a'int no ass! Asking for what you really want brings clarity, it brings trust because you know that you have laid it all out on the table there are no hidden agendas Asking for wha

Do what you say you’re going to do- this is the single most powerful  behavior  for success Danielle La Porte Okay confessions on the journey, Billy Bull shitters, I run from them! you know the ones who always profess that they can do something and never does, or the ones who say they will do something and when the time comes to do its always a stoopid excuse? I run from those types, they annoy me! Yes, I am working on reducing the level of annoyance... So why just not say I am unable to do it, or stay quiet What about the ones who are afraid to say the truth and make up some other type of BS then disappear? The truth hurts yea but find a way - they say social media gives us balls, try that medium to deliver the message if you cannot do it face to face These are my confessions.....  Thank you for listenening Have a super Saturday Peace

Fiercely believe that you're exactly where you're supposed to be: trials, downers, challenges, hiccups and all. Believe past your current circumstance. Believe as big as your dreams. Believe with utter and unmatchable determination that you are enough. That your dreams will happen. That your heart will heal. That you will make it through another day. That this will all make sense later. That everything will be OK. That your impact will be great . Maxie McCoy Unwavering faith - do you have unwavering faith in yourself, in your vision, in your dreams? Not just faith, unwavering faith, the one that does not move, rock solid, the one that says to you when you are tired you take a rest and then as we say "wheel and come again" Do you know what you know and that is enough for you to start, to move to act? just knowing that you have this level of unwavering faith and knowing? This takes times to build, especially living in a world where people base things on what th

If you are emotionally blocked and you cannot, or do not know what you feel or have blocked what you feel so effectively that you become emotionless,  you become a negative person, and you create a physically diseased body. By keeping your emotions clear emotional negativity does not reside in you, and you become lighter and lighter Gary Zukav One of the best lessons on the journey that I have received thus far is "refuse to look at situations that are  happening  in your life as something happening TO YOU but as something that is happening FOR YOU" I remind myself of this lesson and with it I ask " what is this situation for?" it changes the dynamics of how I approach a challenging situation, or when I am feeling in a funky funk. What is this for? What is the lesson here? What am I in fear of? What am I not paying attention to? Or maybe what am I paying too much attention to? And part of all this are the signals that our emotions give us. Our emotions tri

See I picks my friends like I pick my fruit, & Granny told me that when I was only a youth I don't go 'round trying to be what I'm not  I don't waste my time trying ta get what you got I work at pleasin' me cause I can't please you  and that's why I do what I do My soul flies free like a willow tree  doo wee doo wee do wee Erykah Badu Focusing on myself, my goals and my vision is something that I pay very close attention to, and then there are times when I lose the focus and start looking at what other people are doing, getting defensive when people tell me something that pushes my buttons, losing faith in the vision this is where I realise that I must get still and regroup and trust me that takes a bit of time when I am being stubborn. But life is gracious and gives us hints, clues, lessons and sometimes slaps us silly when we don't pay attention. Some people get punch drunk and continue to take the slaps thinking that it is normal, when they d

Lift your head up high and scream out to the world I know  I am someone then let the truth unfold Micheal Jackson What if we all decide to believe that we are incredible human beings capable of doing incredible things? What if we all decide that our bodies can do what ever our minds direct it to do? What if we decide not to outsource our happiness and take responsibility for it? What if we believe that "this too shall pass" and let "it" go? What if we believe  that we can dream big dreams and then go one step further and believe that we can in fact achieve the dreams we dream What if we decide that we are all one and act accordingly? What if we decide to stop the judgement of other people and focus on our own lives? What if we decide to mind our own business? What if we pour love on it? What if we decide not to take things personally all the time? (this one tough for me!!) What if...... Peace

The only reason that we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes. Pema Chodron I am now in Trinidad and Tobago, and in a situation that is making me open my heart and mind to look myself in the eye in a very honest way. Many times when I travel and see the inspiring work that is based on communities and people with one mission of making where they are a better place and most times it has me thinking about my own vision and mission in life. Today I am in review mode and know that peace, love, patience and courage must be my next step, it must drive the way I move forward because anything other than that is "sufferation" Note to self:How courageous am I? How willing am I to step out, how you gonna move if you want to stay

Your words are massive power. What are you using them for? Maxie Mccoy Today I went to the favellas in Medellin, what a fascinating experience, to get there I took the most amazing cable car that took me above the City, it almost seemed that I was on the roof of the houses as we climbed higher and higher up! And it was quite inexpensive as well. Well done to the city for now  considered to be one of the safest big cities in Latin America, with character, nightlife and public art that any urban area would envy. The cable car   offers visitors possibly the least expensive but most comprehensive and photogenic city tour in the world. Prior to the completion of the cable cars, people stranded in the favelas wanting access to jobs, education, healthcare and even basic shopping had to make a slow and arduous journey down the mountainside to get into the city. Sporadic and unpredictable buses were available in some areas, but mostly people walked – sometimes for hours. This isolation

DO SOMETHING! You're not dead yet. Today I spent some time at SENA in Medellin SENA is the National Service of Learning in Columbia, who are doing some amazing work through empowering communities especially women led homes through entrepreneurship. In a green space, lovely trees open spaces and in the middle of the mountains they set up their headquarters , and there we experienced their enthusiasm, their innovations and their love. They seemed to have found the formula for building and empowering communities with the objective of peace and sustainable development for their people I was quite inspired by what they have been able to achieve and still pushing to achieve even given their levels of success Very grateful for the visionaries who said listen we have life let's do something despite what is happening in our country! Big up to them Peace!

Holding on to beliefs limits our experiences in life. That doesn't mean that beliefs or ideas or thinking is a problem: the stubborn attitude of having to have things be a particular way, grasping on to our beliefs and thoughts, all cause these problems. To put it simply, using your belief system this way, creates a situation in which you choose to be blind instead of being able to see, to be deaf instead of being able to hear, to be dead rather than being alive, asleep rather than awake Pema Chodron Medellin has a history, it is not a very rosy history, one of violence and strife. Today the city is growing, it is becoming peaceful, it is thriving and bustling. This took risk and a huge change of belief. It did not happen overnight but the point is that it happened and now is a testimony of changing belief systems, taking risks and loving their city so much to stand up and be counted It is a very inspiring place for me, I am extremely excited at their prospects of all the awes

'Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible to your approach'. ~ Anthony Robbins Today I listened to a number of entrepreneurs pitch their new businesses with excitement, enthusiasm and gusto! I listened to someone talk about trust and how important it is in the process of developing a successful company and how vulnerability is a quality successful entrepreneurs possess I thought about how many start ups and growing companies are one person shows,trust and vulnerability is undeniable and vulnerability is a strength, cracking one's self right open, stepping in the ring and being willing to take blows to get to where one want's to go!  Totally inspiring  Peace

“It’s well known in wisdom communities that delays are not denials. Remember this at all times. Keep focused on what you can do in the moment, and if there is nothing to be done – you are being taught patience. Apply yourself everyday towards your deepest desire – work hard, then let go. This is how mastery is attained.” love - Jackson Kiddard, author & polymath. I spent the entire day listening to people's stories of patience, endurance, success and setbacks Entrepreneurs have been giving their stories of how they achieved their dreams and in all cases it involved hearing no, waiting and learning to discern who was "in their corner"  Starting is the key, no amount of planning and talking will get you to this, action must take place and taking action involves courage and vulnerability And so I thought today for everything on my own journey, courage and vulnerability. Courage over comfort and vulnerability over playing tough Grateful for the less

Nobody else can really begin to sort out for you what to accept and what to reject in terms of what wakes you up and what makes you fall asleep. No one else can really sort out for you what opens your world-what to reject-what seems to keep you going round and round in some sort of repetitive misery Pema Chodron This is my second day in Columbia, I am here for a series of workshops on women and youth entrepreneurship under the Global Entrepreneurship Council - very happy and proud to be invited to be a part of this and looking forward to sharing and learning Medellin I love so far, very green, hilly. and the people are friendly. So until..... Will holla on the flip side Peace

Wherever you are in life, IT'S A PROCESS. Creating success, finding your purpose, falling in love, breaking up, loosing weight, healing your heart, gaining more confidence, earning more money... WHATEVER it is that you are asking for or focused on IS HAPPENING. You will not be able to SEE all that is happening with your physical eye, but you must BELIEVE and use your faith while you are in the process.  THINGS ARE WORKING! It is happening. Things are changing. Just BE PATIENT . Love yourself through the journey and let the process find its completion. . IMPATIENCE will only prolong your process. It's like opening an oven while a cake is trying to bake. It will NEVER finish cooking all the way through. So calm down. RELAX. TRUST. And before you know it, this process will be OVER and you will receive all that you've been believing for. Shanel Cooper Sykes It's been a week of lessons! Two community awards were given to me this week, I am still dripping with gratitude

Don’t hide. Share your experience. Let the world know where you are and where you’ve been. There is no shame in breaking through. Your truth could very well trigger a breakthrough for someone else… and that’s cause for celebration! Stacey Herrera Over the past few days I have been called upon to speak and chose to share my story as opposed to making a speech and many of the responses were "OMG you are so brave" "How can you tell people your story so easily" (as if!!) "I can't believe you said that" I am sharing my story, I heard other people's stories and it healed me, it allowed me to grow and blossom and so I want to share my stories so that someone else can heal, grow and learn. Collectively this can transform where we are and by extension the world So, share your story, in a way that is empowering, that is real, that is authentic, that is love Peace

The most powerful pain remedy, elixir, solution, galvanizer, waker-upper, injection of strength is… gentleness Danielle La Porte This piece is from Alex Elle - a top top truth teller, thank you for sharing Alex  It's always good to give others the benefit of the doubt. We all make mistakes. We all seek forgiveness at times. The gift of a second chance is precious. What I've learned though, is to be cautious and sensible in giving it. When relationships, (both love and friendship) are seriously unhealthy, the same things often happen repeatedly. You keep thinking that "this time" it will be different. If you find yourself looking over your shoulder, arguing over the same things, and feeling hurt over and over again, perhaps it's time to be more honest with yourself. Are you clinging to the potential of what you hope for and disregarding the reality of what actually is? Yes, second chances are important, but they should be sincerely asked for and earned.

Gratitude. The units of understanding increase with experience. Value. Grateful for everything. Every moment that one would seem to wish to undo. Innerstanding now the past and it's truths. From fighting to stay the same to accepting that one must change. Evolution. And my appreciation has multiplied, so much so that I embrace it all. Not just parts, but the whole story. Give thanks. Natalie Stewart Today is International Women's Day I am eternally grateful for all the women who paved the path for me to be in a space where I can do anything, I mean anything, I can study, vote, drive, anything.... and this was not the case in my great grandma's time I take my responsibility seriously I take nothing for granted on this day How can I leave this place so that my great great grankids can say the same thing? That's my motivation now and forward May I continue to walk the path and may I walk it with courage Peace Today I am speaking at the Tunapuna Publ

No, I don't regret a single moment, No, I don't  looking back When I think of all those disappointments I just laugh, I just laugh - Aretha Franklin Just when I thought that February was one of my most testing and challenging months for years, the tide changed in March Just when I thought that the seeds I had planted were dying and needed a heavy dose of fertilizer and water, a flower peeked through Just as I thought about taking an extended break, I was reminded that the night is for a reason, and will not last, that faith and self belief trumps all, that patience is a skill and angels are everywhere looking out for you but sometimes we don't give them a chance to do what they are supposed to do. This past week was an awesomely fun one, I have been nominated for two awards, one from my country and another one from Barbados in recognition of International Women's Day tomorrow This is to me such a proud moment, one in which I cherish and look back think of the di

You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. Erica Jong What did I learn today? I am Enough! what’s your prop?  Coffee, people validating you?Sugar? (in so many different ways),  needing to know?   the sense of control?,  whoever else is out there is supposed to be there to support you?.  I thought about it and I said to myself, what happens when you don’t have any of those things?  What do you do then?  How grounded are you then?  How much are you standing in your power when you don’t have your props?  How often do you believe or feel that your good is in that “other” thing? (relationship, job, place, thing, circumstance and god forbid if you believe that somebody else has your good) what makes you believe that something OUTSIDE of YOU is the answer to YOU!  How could YOU possibly NOT be ENOUGH! What is that???  Where did you get that concept? Now is the time to know that you know that you know that YOU are ENO

Loving yourself means you are willing not to participate in activities or with others who cannot give you what you need. When you tell the truth about what you want, you stand a better chance of getting it. If you withhold that truth in fear that you will not or cannot have it, chances are you will have a temporary experience of happiness at the expense of experiencing fulfillment and joy When we live at the highest vibration of who we are, we attract more of that vibration into our lives.. Iyanla The most honorable and loving thing you can do for yourself and those you love is to tell the truth. Telling the truth is a sign that you respect yourself and them. Respect is an essential ingredient of love. When you tell the truth about who you are, you provide others with the opportunity to know you and to be intimate with you. Big big big lesson here for me..... Vulnerability is just part of the whole thing, be willing to be vulnerable, it really is a sign of strength The game

Take a risk each day - one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you've done it. Even if it doesn't work out the way you wanted it to, at least you've tried. Life is huge! And, like life itself ... you never know what's coming next! Susan Jeffers The NiNa Programme for Young Entrepreneurs started last month, this cycle has 16 young ladies, some of the most brilliant and articulate sisters between the ages of 16-17 that I have the pleasure of being with every week. I learn so much from them, I look forward to the sessions and come away feeling refreshed and renewed. Today's session, I walked into the room and surprise- each of the 16 cooked a dish, the table was set and we sat together and ate from each of the 16 dishes (well truth be told I skipped some because I am a vegetarian and those sisters love their chicken and lamb!) I was so blown away by the gesture, it was an opportunity to sit and chat over a meal, a simple act which brings

We must be constantly reaffirming our dislike of a situation in order to keep it around. When we release our attachment to the problem or to the cause of the problem (all causes are in our mind, not "out there") healing is the result. That is nature’s way . Ruth Clothworthy Releasing a matter is tough when one wants to be in control and have things their way. It is tough because sometimes we feel wrong, or small or maybe even threatened. We tell the story over and over again like a broken record, Telling the story is good and encouraged to get it off your chest and acknowledge what is happening But how do tell the story? One of the lessons I will always remember is to "tell your story in a way that will empower you and empower others, otherwise don't keep telling that victim story over and over again" And so I am very mindful of how I tell a story, how I tell my story, because stories have power and healing and lessons attached, it is up to us to tell it

There’s no ease, no expansiveness, no faith in oneself or trust in the world, when you avoid making choices that would lift you up, because you’re afraid of not having enough money. It’s a fear of being defined by your (low) bank account numbers. It’s a fear that you lack resourcefulness to find solutions if the shit hit the fan. It’s a fear that you don’t know how to deal with the stress of a serious financial challenge. It’s a fear that the world, your world, will fall apart. The fear - yea the fear of having no money for me is real, the struggle.... is real! And yet the Course in Miracles says nothing real can be threatened and nothing real falls away. So I must be hallucinating or something... Deep down I know that it is really all a big heap of fear and I will admit, confessions on the journey, that I find myself  deep in the heap.  This month, oh my word,  a shovel and back hoe seemed to be required to get me out of the  deep heap as I was down to my last 20 bucks