Spiritual Transformation

“Peace Comes From Within .
Do Not Seek It Without. -Buddha”

Transformation and transition are the two words I would use to describe the space I am in currently. These last few months my life has been life changing to say the least, I have been through many changes but the one that I am most excited about is my spiritual growth. Being present to every experience with clarity being able to recognize and appreciate Gods love and beauty in the world. The world is constantly changing people are evolving and of course we cannot forget that we are living in some scary times, but does that mean that life is all bad? Life is not perfect, but it is worth experiencing in full of gratitude and purpose, the reality is we may not have control of the changing events, but we all have the ability to make a difference. We have two options when it pertains to society and the concerns for our people, we can choose to be apart of the problem or we can choose to be apart of the solution. Complaining and being in distraught about the current times that we are living only robs us of the opportunity to appreciate the lessons, teachings, and the blessings that are available to us daily.  The energy being wasted in anger, sadness, and fear can be channeled into peace, happiness, and fearlessness. The key to remember is that life is not happening to us it is happening for us everything that we experience today will serve for a greater purpose in the future and we do not want to miss the lessons by being distracted with negative thoughts.

I have been committed to living a life of peace and fulfillment for the past two years it has been my most important goal. It is not always easy; it takes practice and patience to master my mind and shift my perspectives. The reality is that having peace is does mean that adversities are not present, it simply means to have the ability to remain calm in the midst of the storms. I honestly believe from my own experiences that obtaining peace is difficult when you try doing it on your own, and it becomes a success when you seek peace through God. In 2017 I was in a place where I was seeking peace, but I was seeking it externally and trying different things that only gave me temporary satisfaction. I was going to church every Sunday I would feel great but the moment I left it was almost as if that feeling never existed. I decided to take some time to commit myself to building a personal and intimate relationship with God, I knew of God, but did I truly know him was the question I would ask myself. I began committing to waking up every morning at 4:30a.m. to pray, meditate, yoga, and devotion with myself every morning. It was very new and challenging but it was something that I knew I needed to, that period of my life I learned a lot about myself, I was able connect with myself on a higher level. The most important thing is I was able to grow spiritually and building a relationship with God. On my twenty-fifth birthday was when I was present to the peace, I was seeking for so long and I allowed myself to be receptive of the changes I was feeling. I know that this is only the beginning I am still learning, healing, and growing with faith, being obedient I am following God’s lead to a place of worship to continue to learn.

In conclusion I urge everyone reading to take on is understanding that we cannot not do life alone, we are not in control of our destiny, but we do have control of how we view life.  Every day is a new learning experience and with the right mindset and attitude we put ourselves in a position win at being the best version of ourselves.  Everyone will be faced with challenges that will either make or break you but most importantly it is a moment to self-reflect and get connected with our true self. Growing spiritually is a lifetime challenge and commitment, choosing between what we have always known and experiencing what we need can be scary at first but as you remain consistent it becomes a way of life. Living a life of peace and happiness is not about the things that we achieve or obtain it is simply the gift of knowing that even when life gets challenging, we have access to a greater love within us. Love is the answer, whenever we are struggling to get by relying on the love that God has for us even when we are not able to helps us to keep going. Knowing what we deserve and being willing to put in the work, and staying connected to a positive circle of influence. The greatest secret to peace is in prayer, we must be quick pray about all of our worries, fears, and challenges.” I am leaving you with a gift -peace of mind and heart and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be trouble or afraid.” John 14:27

Purpose Has No Expiration Date

How many times have you set a date or put a time stamp on your goals, and how do you feel when that time is present, and you are not where you anticipated to be? I will be the first to admit that I was always very organized, and I often put a lot of expectations on myself and allowed outside expectations to affect me mentally if I did not achieve in that time frame which would leave me disappointed and discouraged. I was always very driven and even after falling short I knew that I had to keep going but the result of that was I would put more pressure on myself. Experiencing this was not easy because I was my own worse enemy and biggest critic, this was not healthy or good for my mental health. How many of you out there have set goals and unrealistic time frames that is not impossible to meet but just did not happen according to your measurement. Does this mean that make us failures, does this mean that it is not meant for us to achieve these goals? No this does mean that we are not destined for greatness and it is not impossible to achieve them. Sometimes a no on our journey can simply mean not yet, every delay is not a denial. There are times in our lives where we have to ask ourselves are, we ready for what we are asking for. Timing is everything and if we achieve the things that we are desiring before we are ready, we may not know how to appreciate it.

In life sometimes we have unrealistic expectations of what our life should look like by a specific time based on several factors in our life. I will be the first to say that my unrealistic expectations and time restrictions for my goals were because of what mother expected, what society says we should be doing at a specific age or time in your life. The standards set by my culture, being from the island education, independence and being a hard worker is put on a very high level of expectancy. I have learned that this is how depression, anxiety, and fear become a very present part of one’s life. We begin wasting too much time being consumed with the fear of disappointing our loved ones, not meeting the expectations of others. Losing sight that the only timing that matters is God’s, we can have the best plan we can be the most hard-working person in the room, and it does not mean anything if God does not decide to bless you at that time. I have been so present to many stories in the bible of how God went about his teachings and timing and they were not the normal or what we would consider to be realistic. The most important thing that we forget is that it does not matter how long or what age God decides to bless you he will not only bless you, but he will provide you with what you need. It is our responsibility to learn to be Patient, trust God’s plan and be realistic about where we are and are, we ready for the things we desire. Many times, we are in a rush when it pretrains to when we get married, our career, our vision, when we buy a house, a vehicle, and forget about the responsibilities that comes along with obtaining them.

“Be More Present ,
Be More Patient ,
Stay On Purpose.”

The truth is no one is in control of time and when God decides to bless; it can happen at any time and anywhere, our jobs is to continue to focus and be prepared for when the time is present. The time we waste complaining about what we have fallen short on and being over critical with ourselves take this valuable time to work on self. Learn to be patient on your journey and stop allowing the pressure of outside influences to be in control of your mind and your life. Pace yourself be patient with yourself and most importantly have compassion you will not know it all over night, you will not have all the answers in a day. Always remember that your journey is a lifetime commitment each day there is a new test and a new lesson to learn, we have to grow to the level of success we wish to obtain. True success and living a life of purpose does not come with a cheat code or a fast route, anything worth having in life is worth patiently working for. Life happens to the best of us and while we do not have control of time what we do have control of is how we react to our experiences and how we make great use of our time. There is no expiration on God’s purpose for our lives while the world sees limits and impossibilities always remember that God has no limits, and everything Is possible with God. “rest in the lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospered in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalms 37:7.

Your Word Is Bond

“Blessed Is The Man That Trusteth In The Lord, And Whose Hope The Lord Is. Jeremiah 17:7”

I have always found it ironic how easy it used to be for me to trust people and believe in their promises with open hearts with great expectations but was hesitant to trust in God’s promises. People will always fall short; people will not always keep their promises and most importantly no one is perfect. How many times have you relied on God without a blessing happening, and how many times has God disappointed you? God works in mysterious and miraculous ways even though we may not be able to understand the order of how God decides to work in our lives we should always trust and be ready with an open heart and great expectations for what He will do. The reality is God does not always show up when we think that He should, but he will always show up when we need him the most. What we want is not always what is best for us neither does it add value tour life. The say that every disappointment is for a reason which I have learned to be a fact.  Very often we may have a plan than does not happen or is delayed not because we did anything wrong, but only because God knows what is best for us. Although we may not be happy about it in the moment it is important that we remain grateful knowing that all things will work according to God’s plans. We are our own worse enemies God loves us more than we love ourselves at times, we settle for less than we deserve and lose sight of our true value. Every experience we have beginning as a child shapes the way the we perceive all of our experiences in our life.

I was having a conversation with one of my good friends about how our words and promises can and will have a lasting impact on our children more than we know it. subconsciously we fail to realize that we begin to set the tone for how they accept disappointments or settling for less than they deserve. Everything begins from our youth and it is never our parents or guardians’ intentions to hurt or disappoint us but as we grow, there is a possibility that we may  we see everyone and experience in the same light based on our past experiences and what we were taught to accept indirectly . Our words are powerful and if we were to all take a moment to reflect on our life the history of desires or dreams, we have spoken out loud will or have showed up in our lives whether they were good or bad. I remember always declaring that by the age of twenty-five I would be married and have a family, or how I wanted to retire my self by the age of twenty-five. I look at my life today at twenty-five where the words I spoke many years ago is now my reality. My friend sharing with me that she used to declare that by the age of thirty she would be a homeowner which she did purchase her first home at thirty. These things happening are not coincidence they great evidence of the power of our words, and a reminder that God answers prayers and it is important that we are mindful the language we speak over our lives and others. All we have is our word and it is very important that we are not making promises that we cannot keep and always being mindful that we are men/women of our word.

The lesson that I desire for everyone to take away and be mindful of is to remember that when all else fails prayer still works. We must learn to commit all plans and desires on to God and trust that He will provide and always keep His promises. Learn to be mindful of our words, the things that we are declaring over our life. God answers all prayers and the words we speak will come into fruition. The key about letting go and moving forward in life is to never change who we are because of our past experiences. Be open to forgiving, loving no matter how many times you have been hurt, asking for help no matter how many times we have heard no. Remain true to ourselves do not place our hopes and expectations in people instead trust God, when in doubt prayer is key. walk in faith and allow God to take care of all our worries, and fears. Adversities happen they are not happening every day we must learn to no to continue to live as though the pain of the past is still present. Let go to live and get the full experience of life and all that life has to offer. Be patient and “know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Attitude Of Gratitude

“Give Thanks To The Lord And Proclaim His Greatness. Let The Whole World Know What He Has Done. 1 Chronicles 16:8”

When was the last time you were present to how blessed you truly are, when was the last time you invested time to be thankful for all that God has done for you? I believe that many times in life we forget that life is a gift and is not promised to anyone, the house, the job, our health, our car and all of our achievements along the way are a blessing and not a guarantee. We get so consumed and used to having that we forget that there are a lot of people around the world that are without, from poor health, homeless, struggling to provide for their family etc.  There is nothing more special about those who are with than the people that are without God loves us all the same and created each and every one of us equally. Everything has a season and while we may be in our winning season, we cannot forget to be thankful and remember that nothing is permanent. While nothing in life Is permanent God’s love is, we must be open to the constant changes and remain in gratitude at all times. In the darkest moments of my life is where I have learned the most valuable lessons that will continue to get me through life challenges that are present and still to come.  The most important thing to remember is that we are in control of how we react to life and how we allow our thoughts to shape our reality.

I remember going through many storms in my life; moments where I could not see the light or the reason why they were important and my response to them was to complain, give up, and question God. The more I complained or questioned God I lost sight of what was important and all that I was blessed to have, because life was not happening according to my expectations in that moment. I struggled with accepting what is and moving forward with a clear mind and a grateful heart, because I was always limited by my thoughts of how unfair life was and that I had the worse luck. As I grew older and was experiencing the real highs and lows of life as an adult is when I knew that in order for me to get new results in my life, I had to do something new. The first step to creating a solution for my life began with changing my mindset, and shifting my perspective which also helped me to eliminate limiting beliefs. Ii learned to take responsibility for who I was being, the thoughts I was having, and the actions I was taking that aligned me with things that I was unhappy with. Most importantly I learned to let go of learned behaviors and beliefs that were limiting my ability to grow beyond what I knew. Life is not about what is fair or who God loves more, life is about being present in every moment and setting our intentions daily on being the best versions of ourselves.  Having complete gratitude for everything and everyone in our life especially the dark times.

It Is easy to be happy and gratitude filled when we are in the winning season of our life the true test is being able to maintain an attitude of gratitude in our darkest moments. I want to challenge and also encourage everyone reading today to remember that we are not here by luck our existence here on earth is divine. We were created with purpose and the gift is within us, we have the power to live a life filled with purpose and joy. Everything in life is choice we decide how happy we will be, we decide how successful we will be, we decide how we take on life challenges because nothing is an accident or a coincidence. God is always working with us and for us even when we forget to trust him, He is always patiently loving and protecting us it is up to us activate our faith and allow God to align us with the things and people we need. Change your thoughts about what you have always known and experienced and allow God to do new and amazing things in your life. Life is what we make it we set the tone for the kind of day, month, or year we have. Start with taking responsibility for ourselves and stop placing blame on others. Live in love and light because God is love, “love is patient and kind, love is not jealous or boastful or proud.” 1 Corinthians 13:4.

Disconnect & Level Up

There is a fine line between business and personal relationships the very thing that can hold us back is not knowing when to separate the two. If you are someone that has a vision to be your own boss, you must be prepared for the changes that will be present on our journey. There will be friendships that will feel like a strain and some friendships that will fade. They say if you want to know who your true friends are or have clarity on the people that are with you and for you pay attention when you go through rough times or start a business. In the beginning when you share your desires to people everyone will share their views whether they think it is a good or bad idea, most will say go for it I support you until you get started. We must be careful in getting our hopes up and having high expectations in promises, by doing that we get trapped in the hype and our emotions become a distraction from the goal. There will be  people that will say they have your best interest at heart, and support you fully because it sounds good, but may not be coming from a genuine place The down side to having high expectations In people will leave you feeling  discouraged I like to call this a dream killer, because we tend to forget sometimes that our vision is ours to get excited about and remain self-motivated.  Too often many make the mistake of being motivated by words and empty promises, and when we are not receiving that outside support it becomes difficult to be self -motivated. Relying on others to show up for us is the same as giving complete control of our vision. If you are not self-motivated and driven by your vision or having a Why, this will create doubt and disappointment when we become consumed with seeking validation and cheer leaders.

It is very important in the beginning to practice being excited and prepared to be your own cheer leader, and your own hype man or woman. A lot of people will be quick to promise and slow to act on their promises, one of the main reasons is because they really did not believe you would begin.  When it becomes apparent that you are and taking it head on those same people can become intimidated and some envious. Everyone is not brave enough to step out of their comfort zone and commit to doing something they love without a guarantee steady income. This is a terrifying thought for most and some won’t understand it, while others will be watching and waiting for you to give up. These are the kind of people you want to grow farther away from and Surround yourselves with like-minded people. This is usually where it gets hard because of the history with person or the nature of a relationship. Learning how to detach from the things and people that are no good for where you we are headed, understanding that in order to go higher there are some stuff and people we will have to let go. The reality is as you change so does your circle of influence, the less friends you have on board the greater your chances are to succeed. Friends will be the first to ask for favors and discounts, and they will be the last to promote your new project but will be the loudest about them supporting you, while their actions gave a different language.

“Letting Go Is The First Step To Elevating
From What You Know
To Explore The Great Unknown.”

This is all a part of the process of elimination, I am not advising anyone to wake up tomorrow and cut off communication with everyone immediately, there is a polite way to separate yourselves by simply making yourself unavailable. Learning to love people from a distance is an important decision to be made.it Is okay to continue to love these people and still be friends on our own time. Having boundaries between your friendships and your business makes life a lot less complicated. It takes a brave heart to stick to your values and expectation some will stick around, and some will slowly fade away. We are all capable of creating an extraordinary life, but we must have clarity on what we desire for our life and be ready to work for it.  The truth is people are limited by their belief system of the things they were taught growing up and being comfortable. They are limited by their circumstances and too afraid to think outside the box and create new possibilities. This is where the power of choice plays a part because we can either choose to keep enrolling limited people into our creative space or we can keep them at a respectable distance  I say this not to be mean and neither am I encouraging anyone to act like they are above any one, but sometimes removing yourself could be what is best for that person to get in action for themselves. I firmly believe if you are not able to find a solution, if your presence does not help the situation then it is possible the only solution is to step back and allow what is meant to happen to take its natural course.