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

negative self-talk is playing small. giving into fear is playing small. saying "i'll do it tomorrow" is playing small. comparing yourself to another is playing small. creating narratives of false impending dooms is playing small. restricting your possibilities by perpetuating old cycles is playing small . Olivia Jade Why do you play small? Marianne Williamson says it is our greatness that scares us more than anything else. To become "great" means becoming a great person. That means we cannot skip the process, we cannot skip the lessons. My definition of greatness is living on purpose with purpose, living in peace and faith despite the challenges and situations we find ourselves in The great ones, had to go through the process, to do the work The discipline The faith The consistency The patience The self belief The showing up The questioning of the beliefs The pissing people off The self care Not willing to any of those things?...

Quite often we confuse accepting responsibility for bearing the blam e - Iyanla Vanzant Accepting responsibility leads to self acceptance, self discovery, self correction Blame leads to looking for some punishment Accepting responsibility  leads to choices, choices have consequences Blame leads to punishment Accepting responsibility leads to self evaluation Blame leads to punishment Accepting responsibility leads to lessons on the journey Blame leads to pointing fingers and speaking about others Which one would you choose? Peace Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/ Have you read any of Akosua's work? What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here? Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal Follow Akosua on Twitter Instagram Facebook

My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you I the best place for the next moment. Oprah Winfre y The A in self-love What happens after you have reached a point of unconditional self love? does life just run smoothly? is there continual bliss? are all your problems magically solved? Well i would say no Unconditional self-love is not the answer to all It really isn’t Unconditional self-love offers hope The hope for confidence to deal with the challenges one will inevitably face on this journey called life Do not be fooled into thinking finding unconditional self-love is the ultimate fixer What this love does is, it holds you accountable, it makes you more responsible and it leads to making more hopeful and loving decisions both for you and others It does not give you a pass to be a jerk to others in the name of “i love myself” It does not give you the reason to blame anyone or anything on “fo...

Gratitude is the Cure - Gary Vaynerchuk Confessions on the Journey! I really really wanted to be selected for a particular book festival, and I have not been, was not the first choice. I was salty, downright salty and sad. I felt rejected. Then the penny dropped, the virtual AHA moment This was a reflection. A mirror back to me of how I think about myself and my abilities, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow I never considered myself to be an author and a writer, I just happened to write a book. So if I feel like that about myself, it will manifest itself outwardly.And there it was I wanted to be a part of a book festival as an author and that did not happen. It is clear now why Many times we harbour thoughts, feelings and doubt in our minds and they reflect back to us with what people do and say about us, we get pissed off because no one is supposed to know it, we get to see it in living colour what we had in our minds. Imagine what can happen if we focus on the p...

  if they are not growing you, pushing and elevating you, feeding you (and, vice versa) what purpose are they/you really serving? Nah! J. Leon Who are the people in your circle? Who are your people? Who are the ones that keep it real with you? The ones that call you out? The ones that let you know that you are being a jerk- all with love The ones that celebrate your wins and mourn your losses? Do you know who your people are? Do you even care? Listen to your body when you are around your "people" How do you feel? do you honour the feelings, listen to them? Let them guide you? This requires awareness, courage, honesty, vulnerability and work. You have to do the work! There are people who are around us because of time, history, and comfort. This works well when they are the ones who are around you who are honest, authentic and fanning your flames. If they do not, then its a drain on your own soul. There is fall out to choosing the people in you...

Readiness is only the prerequisite for accomplishment. ACIM " When I am ready I will do it" - How many times have I said that in a most genuine way? "It will happen when its good and ready" - what about that one, have you heard or said that? Readiness is a decision, it takes action and a will. Readiness is not a state of just waiting for the best and right moment to move or to take action. Readiness starts with a choice. How do you know if you are ready? You decide.- it's that simple! When you find resistance strong and dedication weak, you are not ready, do not fight yourself. Readiness requires discipline. The ability to discipline yourself to do what is required. I have now decided that I am ready to face the state of finances. I have decided that it is time to be disciplined, to take action and have the will to start budgeting, to start saving, to pay off my debts, to catch up on my taxes and tie up all the loose ends left hanging after get...

Flexibility means surrendering, giving up your preconceived notions about people, circumstances and the way things should be. Flexibility is a reflection of your willingness to do what needs to be done with no attachment to how it gets done - Iyanla Vanzant Having something done a certain way because "it was always done that way", or because someone we trust told us that it is meant to be that way is safe. Many times, what we want to do and be turns out differently, and we stress the hell out of ourselves looking to change it. We think it is wrong or we feel guilty that it is different, we don't recognise this way. Life is so much bigger than what we know. Life has so many possibilities and pathways, why limit ourselves to only what we know? I get it, yes it's safer, its easier to control the outcome, we know where we are going. I have learnt that when I am willing to be flexible, the results are so much more fascinating and magnificent and mind blowing. I w...

Intelligence alone doesn’t guarantee that you’re making the right choices in life. There’s no way to figure it all out with your mind, because “it all” is way beyond anybody’s ability to comprehend. There are times when divine guidance alone can lead you safely even through life’s gnarly jungles . Intelligence for Dummies Its question time during meditation... you’re always wanting to know: “what can we do about this situation?” or “what are the exact things I need to know?” “how can I fix it?” “how does it work here?” "what was the feedback?" In your deep searching it seems that you believe that things are circumstantial & conditional therefore you are going about trying to create the perfect circumstances & control all the conditions, assuming that knowing all of it will create the space for you to be ALL that you are to be.  The all that you are to be is never ever dependent on outside circumstances & outer expressions alone. If this is the place where you ...

Our culture's obsession with early achievement has become detrimental to the majority of the population- to the multitudes of us who develop in different ways at different places. It pushes the message that you haven't become famous, reinvented an industry or banked seven figures while you're still young enough to get carded, you've somehow made a wrong turn in life. Rich Karlglaad Okay, so confessions on the journey, I am terrified of "getting old" of "dying old" I just had a birthday - these milestones have a tendency of sending me into a spiral of  overthinking.  The overthinking leads to thoughts like : there is so much I haven't done yet and time is running out. There is so much I must do and time is running out. Am I too old for this shit? Am I wasting my time waiting? Am I not using time wisely? Am I going to die old and alone? (I told you it was a spiral) I work myself up to a frenzy and it then becomes a whole drama going ...

It is our "job" to continue imagining higher states of being - higher thoughts, word and deeds, so we continue creating ourselves anew . Neal Donald Walsh I wanted to know what was going on but so afraid to ask. I wanted to get the full story but really didn't want to be disappointed. So what did I do? I made up a story about it. An elaborate one as well- mostly negative and drama filled. What I have learnt is that making up stories is an easy way out until it starts affecting your real life and your real decisions. Making up stories is exactly what it is- making up something that may not ever exist. It is in no way easier than facing the truth, accepting the reality and feeling the feelings associated with it It may be challenging for a little while, long term though making up stories keeps us in denial, unhealed and sometimes in the dark! When you find yourself making up a story, especially a drama filled negative one, stop yourself, say "I am making up a...

Discomfort is a teacher; it’s an invitation to learn and grow. Rihard Rohr Yesterday I had the distinct honour and privilege of speaking at a school graduation, and not just any graduation, the Success Laventille Secondary School Graduation. This school remains a beacon of light within their community. Despite all the challenges they face of being in the middle of a gang territory, the ones who made it through the five years showed up when they can to take advantage of the education that was on offer. They were persistent and resilient and confident. They knew that they wanted to complete this part of their journey They wanted to transcend their circumstances. I salute them I was humbled and privileged to be there because it is an honor to be considered as someone who can have an impact on these individuals who are now leaving their safe space to navigate out into the world. I take these requests and responsibilities seriously. I wish the graduating class of the Success...

“It is only when you take responsibility for your life that you discover how powerful you truly are.” Allanah Hunt This is a friendly nudge to take responsibility for your own life There is not YOU and LIFE There is not YOU trying to do life We are life itself - it is not happening to us Turn to your own self as evidence of life When you are coming up with the who you are, just don't come up with the things you have, the things you own, the outer things. What is the activity of your life? What is the vibration of your life? What are you resonating with? The test is to demonstrate what know and have considered a test. Life is not a pop quiz. Bring everything , bring all of you, bring it all together It is time to stand on what we know, not on what we have We waste time in judgement about how wrong a situation is, how wrong the situation we are in is - Let that go We don't need the energy of what is wrong. It's called healing, it's...

everyone's rituals and road maps are different. what works for you may not be conventional, or part of the collective idea that to be successful you have to follow a trend. find your rhythm how you see fit. it may not be in tune with the noise of commonplace notions.   Olivia Jade There are many guru's, books, you-tube vids, apps and the whole nine yards giving advice on how to be successful. Sharing what worked for them has helped  many  recognise and realise their potential, however there are others who have read all the books, listen to the podcasts, attended all the workshops but are stuck! Does it mean that they are doing something wrong? that they are basically clueless? What is it? I have learned that this is when we have to decide to set set our own paths, make our own habits and be willing to do different things to find your way. Not because your way is different it means that it not valid. And when we do this boldly and authentically it paves the way for o...