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

  our very expansion challenges the way we see the world and how we see ourselves.  To expand often requires a becoming, which will require the death of our old identity. Vangile Manwaka I use this time of the year as a period of reflection and renewal. I get excited at the possibilities of  seeing me evolve, seeing my world in another light. This year, I DeClare that I am  a powerful being, I was born that way.  Please find the link to download the free workbook I pray that it can support you on your Journey Blessings and more Blessings to you and your loved ones in 2023 and beyond. Akosua I DeClare - Download your free guide Akosua's Books Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here? Now What? The Flipside What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

  Help me to see new ways of being as I release old ways of seeing ACIM I took an early morning walk to the beach just after breakfast. The fishermen were out doing their thing. I was absolutely fascinated at the process. I stood there taking it all in.   The process of "pulling the seine" involves the fisherfolk pulling a net in with the fish, usually from the shore. The men were pulling the net, some on the shore, some in a boat in the water and some men were also in the water. All of this to get to the fish that were caught in the net. The rhythm, the comradery, the strength, the simplicity, the coordination.  All of these required to get the fish from the net to the table. There are so many signs that life provides on the Journey to remind us that there is beauty in simplicity, there is value in moving to the rhythm rather than forcing something to happen, there is so much to learn when working in community. Paying attention to what is in front of us, from the mundane to

  Be present for yourself. Show up for the questions. Reflect on them Dr Cory Yeager Christmas has come and gone. I had the opportunity to spend a very peaceful few days in Castara Tobago. Confessions on the Journey - this has been the most peaceful few days I have spent in a very long time! I feel so grateful for this peace that passes all understanding. I have been reflecting on what contributed to this feeling of peace. Well....obviously apart from the surroundings which are extremely beautiful. Overlooking the ocean never gets old. I can look at the ocean even when doing mundane tasks such as washing the dishes. Castara is a quiet fishing village and over Christmas the shops, the restaurants were shut tight! Nothing much to do but enjoy the surroundings. I chose to view the uncertainty in my life as a portal to something new, why not just get excited about what is to come even though I have no clue what it is, even though there is inevitably be massive changes that I am terrified

The wisest understand that most often there is not even a need to create an assessment, that what is most needed is actually love and care instead of judgment. Yung Pueblo During this season, love and care for yourself. Love and care for your body, love and care for your passions, love and care for your family. Love and care for the things that matter When we love and care, we invite and receive an energy that is unparallel. Little by little when we love and care for something, the anxiety starts to fall away, the self judgement reduces and we can fully immerse ourself in the moment. As of tomorrow I will be loving up on myself, caring for myself by reading, watching the sun rise and set and reflecting on my life I invite you to join me on this journey wherever you are. Peace Akosua's Books Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here? Now What? The Flipside What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

  you must be good to yourself if you are ever going to be any good for others. This means take a day off once in a while when it's not scheduled. Eat of piece of chocolate when it's not recommended. Take a nap when it's just not possible. Get your face into a good book for an hour when you can't afford to. Soak in a tub when there's no time to. Stop everything when you're not supposed to. Do this now, right now, for goodness sake . Neale Donald Walsh The most challenging lesson over the past few months has been accepting of what is.   Accepting - acknowledging what is in front of me minus wanting to change it, fix it, control it, deny it. As soon as a situation arises that is not what I want, not one that I can control, not one that I like, I start a process of fixing, changing, denying. All in vain too! It is so stressful, to say the least. Accepting what is has been kicking my a$$!  Why? ( here is the tricky part of the confession) -  I viewed accepting what

  Are the things you’re doing today getting you closer to where you want to be? Or are your actions keeping you at a standstill? Maxie McCoy As the end of the year becomes closer and closer, I begin to reflect on how I showed up during the period. I reflect on what life is telling me thorough all its signs and clues.  Confessions on the Journey: 1. Staying consistent particularly when it feels hard, or there are distractions is tough. It so easy to, for example, avoid hard conversations, turn off the alarm when it feels better to lie in rather than exercise, stay in familiar comfortable situations rather than dive into the uncertainty. 2. Choosing to let go of control and surrender it all has been a hell of a journey. Let me tell you, I want to KNOW, I want evidence, I want my way, I want to win. This has caused me some stress and suffering As I reflect on this I have learnt that consistency is a practice, starting small and growing is what worked for me. A little bit, a little push,

  freedom is running your own race and not comparing yourself to whoever is in front of you, while simultaneously choosing not to pay attention to whoever is trailing you behind. freedom is realizing that your path is uniquely yours, and no one can take that from you. Billy Chapata Whatever is in me, whatever is hidden that I ought to know about myself,  Whatever I deny about myself Whatever I resist accepting about myself,  Whatever negativity & destructiveness there is within me  I call it out to the open easily, effortlessly under grace.  I choose to see it clearly I commit myself to seeing what needs to be seen without judgement or  criticism, regardless of the challenge or hurt to my vanity or my ego.  I want to be conscious of how I deliberately refuse to see my part in wherever I am stuck, wounded, broken, afraid, angry or imprisoned by limiting beliefs. I open myself to see how I deliberately refuse to accept the truth of my authentic power & how I therefore concentrate

  the only way to get to my financial and other life goals was to allow myself to be imperfect.  I started letting go of over doing and started focusing on being.  I started showing all of myself, not just the perfect parts of me.  I allowed people to see me - I became visible and with that visibility I learned self compassion and started shedding the shame.  The more I shed the shame, the more my life and finances shifted. Vangile Makwaka Wanting to get it "right" Wanting to "fix it" Wanting to show your best side Wanting to make others proud Wanting to be seen as useful and productive These are all noble wants, the challenge with these wants  is the intention behind them. Are we doing all of this to show others how useful and brilliant we are?  when we lose ourselves in the mix of doing we get trapped in that cycle of doing.  Doing to prove our worth, doing to prove who we are keeps us doing and doing and wondering why we are so exhausted, why we are stuck and why

performing, contorting, and molding for approval never brings the embodied sense of belonging we so hope it does . Lisa Olivera  On Saturday I was invited to speak at an event at the University of the West Indies. The theme was mental health. When I saw the theme I immediately thought- what do I know about mental health? I was on the verge of declining. The conversation was going really well and I realized that I would really like to be a part of a movement which allows for healing in an authentic way. I said Yes, Yes to doing something that scared me, yes to showing up and saying what I felt was important on my own journey towards healing and yes to doing something new.  News flash - there will be people who your story will not resonate with, people who cannot relate and plain ole don't like the sight and sound of you. Do what you do anyway. Your message, story, work, purpose is not for them and will bless others. This was a hard concept for me to learn, truth be told, I want ever

  YOU’D BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU ARE SAYING  THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE SAYING ARE CHANGING YOUR LIFE.  Yrsa Daley-Ward My friend calls me the word detective. I asked her why. She said  to me that I pay attention to the words that people say when they are describing themselves particularly when its less than flattering to "Self". I chuckled when I heard it, I did not even recognize that I was so relentless with what she would say, particularly about herself.  I have learnt that it is important how I speak to myself, about myself and with others about myself. Words turn into things. Half of the time we are so disconnected, oblivious and uninvested in what we say, we just mouth off! Life meets you where you are and reflect back to you what you put out, what you say.  Have you ever heard that the Universe meets us at where we value ourselves? It does not ask questions, it simply waits for you to be in alignment.  Life meets you where you are and reflect back to you what you put out,

Nature itself goes against the pace of capitalism, of wider culture, of demands and schedules, scrolling and consumption, continuous energy and output, and I spend a lot of the year forgetting nature isn’t the thing that is wrong. Nature is so right. And we are nature; allowing it is a gift . Lisa Olivera  For the majority of my adult life, I spent the Christmas season in a quiet space. I would read, sleep, discover, write, travel to far off places. Doing this renewed my spirit and soul in a way that I cannot even explain. The year would begin and so would I. I felt brand new. I was never a fan of fuss and Christmas just seemed to turn into a series of events that was a hassle. Confessions on the Journey - I run from fuss! So I used the time to ""escape from the fuss" however, the Universe used the escape for good, for a renewal! I remain grateful. Spending time with myself at Christmas became like a tribute and honor to "self", showing me and declaring to the

  Anyone who has asked for divine guidance knows that it can be challenging to trust it when it comes. Daily OM I was having a random conversation at the hair dressers last week - (gotta love conversations at the hair dressers!)the conversation made a turn towards receiving and following divine guidance. How does one know its divine? I thought about it for a moment, what a brilliant question. How do I know the difference between divine guidance and the ego's guidance? The ego's domain is competition, projection and comparison. The ego focuses on how I can win, how I can look the least amount of stupid and how can I fix what is wrong by most time controlling the outcome. Divine guidance comes in stillness, it usually makes little logical sense and my body responds to what is being downloaded. When there is something off, my body tells me through my stomach flipping, my bowels flipping or my scalp becoming dry!  Divine guidance: 1.Comes in stillness - in nature- in prayer - in j

  In the deepest parts of yourself. What are you asking for? December, let’s do this More self-belief (less self – doubt) More abundance mind set ( less ketch arse behaviour) More courage (less people pleasing) More fun (less worry) More health (less flour) More action(less talk) More do’s (less try’s) I’m ready Akosua's Books Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here? Now What? The Flipside What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. E. E. Cummings 1.  I am intrigued by the capacity and the resilience of humans, their ability to bounce back, to change, to grow, to do good in extreme circumstances. 2. I am intrigued by how the sun rises daily, with beauty grace and consistency...and in silence. No noise, no fuss, no fanfare. 3. I am intrigued by how we  humans justify many of our actions which we know are selfish, hurtful and dishonoring to self. 4. I am intrigued how we humans  don't take responsibility for our lives, but prefer to outsource blame and give away our power.  5. I am intrigued by how much power we have, how much we are afraid of that power, and how we don't use our power  because of fear. 6. I am intrigued by our capacity to love, to forgive, to do good, to share, to be compassionate. 7. I am intrigued by how relationships can heal us and sometimes the healing is

  Believe it or not you don’t actually need to do much to self-generate love, either. You don’t need things to change. You don’t need a person. You don’t need a vacation. You don’t need the house or the meditation practice or the drugs. You don't even need to be in love yourself either (although, that will likely come as a fast follow). You just need to get your head to stop spinning in thoughts, creating such a strong centrifugal force that you become separated from the energy of love that’s all around you.  Maxie McCoy For those who have been on the journey with me since we started sharing lessons on the Journey have heard me say before that there is nothing outside of you that you can find that can prove to you what you are worthy, there is nothing outside of you that can prove that you are enough, you are loveable, you matter. A Course in Miracles says search outside of yourself for what is within and the search will fail. Basically you are looking for something outside of you

  Let people support you. Let yourself need. Let yourself not try to hold it all up on your own. Let your knees wobble in front of others. Let hurt and hope be held. Let your flaws exist out loud. Let yourself fail. Let yourself not know. Let yourself embrace help. Let yourself detach from the notion of  needing  equaling  weakness . Let yourself listen to what may be made easier by no longer trying to do it alone.  Lisa Olivera 11 THOUGHTS IN THIS 11TH MONTH 1. I recently had a penny dropping moment - the one where a realization comes with a type of force. Crying in front others is not a sign of weakness. I was of the view  for a very long time that if I displayed this emotion that I would be thought of as a weak person. Interestingly enough, when other people cry, display their emotions, I would feel so happy for them, hold space for them and see them as courageous. So why did I ever see expressing myself with tears as weak. I was taught to handle my business, to fix it, to get thing

  You don’t have abandonment issues.  You’ve experienced abandonment.  You don’t have an anxiety disorder, you get overstimulated.  You aren’t co-dependent. You crave support.  You don’t always get rejected. You get divinely redirected! Zodi Am Gentle reminder to self: I believe that in the mind of the Most High  Nowhere was smallness a part of the plan  You were not made to be a slave to an environment that does not grow you You were not made to settle because of fear & “ that’s how its been done, "it is how it is” philosophy You were not made to hide behind excuses of this is “who I am” or any other excuse you use to do or not do what you know you must.  And something in you knows this  But getting to it, is the sludge you must pass through to access everything that’s on the other side.

  You cannot come to God with your hands full - Iyanla Vanzant Very often we we seek the assistance, support, guidance of the Most High when we are filled to the brim with our own "stuff"  We come with preconceived notions, fixed ideas and opinions, judgements and criticisms of others, very structured demands of what we need, how we want it and what we are willing to do or not do to get it. The Universe does not work that way. Very often the things we cry out for in the moment are not the things we really want or need. And let us not forget when we ask for help while hiding something behind our backs. Something we did not want anyone else to know, something we were ashamed to admit, something hidden in our subconscious mind. We may not have remembered, realized or understood what it was , but the Universe did and responded accordingly. The Universe meets you where you are, gives you the responses for you to see. This is why its an "Inside Job" Determine how you be,

  People are hard to talk to when: They don’t listen. They don’t create space for the other person to express themselves .They take over the conversation and make everything about them .They diminish what the other person is going through.  They don’t exercise emotional boundaries. Nedra Glover Tawwab Simply put, we want to be heard, we want reciprocity. ACIM has explained this in the way that I have resonated with the most. Giving is the same as receiving. There is no difference in the spiritual realm. Are you giving your full attention and time to everything and every where you are? Confessions - I find myself thinking about what I want to say things I have to do, things  I did not do. All of which takes me further away from the present moment which is all that we have for sure. Practice being where you are- fully Its challenging now because of social media and instant messaging to remain present. It is still possible to practice being in the moment. Practice active listening - being

  Not to spoil the ending for you, but everything is going to be okay. Soul Vibes Trusting yourself Trusting your intuition Taking the guidance and action from your intuition takes courage. Following that divine guidance can be tough for so many reasons, there are no guarantees, you may not know the final outcome with certainty, the action or non action you take may look crazy to others, you may not even know the how, you may not know the next step. Nothing changes until you do. Sounds Cliché right?  Nothing changes until you do YOU! You have to do things differently. Its your choices, your habits, your power You have to check your destructive and unconscious habits You have to rest You have to set boundaries You have to change your self talk You have to have the hard conversations  You have to forgive yourself You have to believe in yourself YOU Quick fixes will not work- there is no amount or manner of external stimulation or validation that can substitute for you doing what you know

  The ego is our sense of self-importance. It's the part of us that believes we are the center of the universe and that everything revolves around us. And while a healthy ego is essential (we all need to believe in ourselves), an overinflated ego can be destructive. Stacey Herera Confessions on the Journey - I have been thinking -  a whole lot  lately- about my ego (the destructive part) Why? Over the past few weeks I have been doing quite a number of interviews, meetings and meet ups. Some of them have not been going the way I anticipated. Rejection is a bummer! Hearing no has been a reminder that keeping my self confidence high despite the appearances is important. Hearing no has also been one where I thought, how could they ever say no to me? This is where the ego stepped in. I mean after all, its me! Akosua! Keeping everything in balance has been the challenge. Falling into a state of feeling depressed or falling into a state of self importance. Both can be destructive. When t