A couple of years back I wrote a piece titled, Are You in a Holding Pattern?
If so, it was time for a landing… Far too much time has been spent on Holding Patterns. You’ve taken off countless times with no landing. Feeling that the conditions are unfavorable to land. Waiting for the perfect timing, waiting, and delaying, trying to allow others to secure their landing first. Concerned about everyone else, will they be ok or feel abandoned if I went ahead of them? Wondering if you have enough support to act now. Although, the Control Tower, the one that controls all, had given the clearance to land. The Lord has assured you that the conditions are optimal, and you have been cleared for a safe landing.
Now that the landing has taken place, you are no longer in a Holding Pattern, it’s important to manually navigate your journey of (re)discovery by being present, connected, and true to the Gift Called “You”. If you don’t you will find yourself living your life on Autopilot.
Maybe you are already there. Are you doing the same routine day after day, never remembering what you did the day before? Or even wondering what day it is? Do you have anything to look forward to? If you’re just focused on just getting through the day-to-day you have forgotten about your “Why”. The reason why you’re doing what you do, you are probably living your life and the relationships in it on autopilot.
The devastating part about living life on autopilot, especially when it comes to your relationships, is that you don’t even know that you’re doing it half the time. You’re just living your life, going through the motions wishing for more, but not sure, if there is more or how to get it. While many people live their entire lives on autopilot (which is truly sad), the way to have truly rewarding and successful lives & relationships is to be fully aware and adaptable when it comes to life. So, how do you do that?
1. Stop and smell the roses (literally): Take time to notice all the little things around you that you always used to look at when you were 6 years old!!!
· Pause and Reflect
· Take more Pictures
· Connect with Others and Nature
2. Think about your short and long-term goals. Do you still have those? And if so – have you forgotten them? Or are your goals different, from what you thought would please others? Re-write that list and start working on accomplishing your true short-term goals.
· (re)Set a goal or two
· Write down the steps needed to achieve them
· Track each step
3. Remember your relationship(s)? When was the last time you did something new with him/her? When was the last time you even wanted to? Start thinking about your relationships and stop just “being in it”.
· Do Something Different
· Practice being Present (Mindfulness)
· Cut down on social media and electronics
Finally, if you are on autopilot there’s a reason why. Your life is out of sync. It’s either too stressful, too complicated, too boring, or you have surrendered your life to the routine. I’m asking you to take one day this week and really think about your life and relationships. How can you shake things up? Make them interesting? How can you get back in sync and in love with your life again?
I appreciate the fact that God continued to replenish and refuel us during those times. He instructed us to land but we continued to hover, remaining suspended in one place in the air. Don’t you think we have hindered and blocked ourselves for much too long to end up on autopilot?
The journey you’re currently on and the place you’re in, what is your spirit speaking to you? God has prepared you for something Great. Let’s embrace the fact, we do not have to see it all, that would not be Faith. We do not have to know all the answers, He is the ultimate Tour Guide for the journey of (re)discovering the Gift Called You”.
So, what has God told you to do that you haven’t started doing yet? What are you waiting for? God has your best interests at heart. Go ahead and do what he’s told you to do. He’s making it Christal Clear.
Prayer: Father God thank you for your strong presence of timing. I feel the soft breeze as you continue to blow all internal and external hindrances and obstacles away. Lord, I invite you each day to a renewed cleansing of my fears, insecurities, discouragements, and heaviness that makes me want to quit and disconnect to be demolished. Amen!
You closed your eyes for a brief period, counting to 100 (1, 2, 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Ready or not, here I come!!! Now your eyes open, oh snap where am I? Who the heck am I? It has been 10 years and I cannot find or recognize myself, have I blended in, or have I vanished entirely? On the surface, it seems odd that you could actually be anything other than who you are. But from the time we can talk, we are being programmed to “fit in.” We find ourselves conforming to please the people we love, and who love us.
But sometimes that means that you must suppress what you know is the real person inside. Over time this leads to a total disconnect and often you become unrecognizable to yourself.
And yet, your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have. Without a healthy relationship with yourself, it’s practically impossible to have healthy and authentic relationships with anyone else.
If you’re ready to be found and get reacquainted with someone you haven’t seen in a while – The ” Gift” Called You (yourself) – start with these 4 ideas to help you rediscover the real you.
1.Quiet the noise in your head
You know those voices well, the ones that are constantly nagging you I’m not doing enough, I don’t have enough time to get it all done, to put up the laundry, spend more time with aging parents, what will we have for dinner, talk to the school teacher, juggle the bills, schedule the vet, keep the boss happy. With all that noise going on, it will be impossible for you to hear anything above the din. This MUST be the first step. How do you do that? By setting up systems, simplifying, and establishing enough extras in your life to allow you to operate from a position of abundance, instead of lacking.
2.Practice thinking about yourself in healthy ways
To do that, you must first believe that you are valuable and that your Real Self has something to offer the world. Since you talk to yourself more than everyone else in your life combined, that is a lot of talking!!! It is up to YOU to establish healthy communication in your thinking. Consciously listen to how you talk to yourself; write down the unhealthy things you say, challenge them, and replace them with facts. Self-Talk: “You never do anything right.” Challenge: “Of course, I do things right. I did (example) right. I did (example) right. This time, I just made a mistake. I will learn from it and have better success next time.”
3.Listen to your heart
Sounds easy enough, but by the time we are adults, most of us have stopped listening to our hearts and go only with our heads. Those two must reconnect to find your real self. It is easy to become accustomed to thinking about your feelings instead of feeling them. Did you catch that? You must not only think but feel as well!!! Instead of asking yourself what you think about something, ask how you feel about it and why it is important to you.
4.Be careful not to get hung up on a specific goal
What you are really after is a feeling — respect, love, appreciation – as opposed to the company car, or a great guy/girl. Keep an open mind to the feelings and be willing to adjust the methods you use to achieve them. Determine not just your goals, but how it satisfies who you really are. The mask will come off and you will rediscover your real self, which will come shining through.
A person you can know and love – The Gift Called You!!! – is waiting for you to take the time to listen and understand and accept. When you accept your Real Self again, you will make smarter choices, and those choices will stick because they actually fit who you are. Now, that is what you are really looking for, isn’t it?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I’m lost like I can’t find myself anymore. As I embark on this journey of rediscovering the Gift Called “Me” please order my steps. Help me to have the confidence to seek out my real self, that’s in hiding, and the gifts I possess. Rescue me and allow healing and growth to take place where it’s needed. Amen!
There are times in our lives, we have all found ourselves feeling worn out, lost, at a standstill, uninterested, or downright blue. You wonder how or when you will get out of this funk?
Winters have always been a challenge for me. Dark outside when I rise and even darker before the end of the business day. Experiencing day after day, month after month, full of anxiety, lack of focus, no energy, sluggishness, hormones raging (want to cry but cannot cry). Praying each day for the sun to shine so I can shake this funk off, trying my best to hold it together and not snap.
I kicked off the year 2020 with the journey of rediscovering the gift called “Me”. I was so excited about the Vision of 2020, Spring has arrived. Little did I know, I was entering into the darkest and most prolonged winter of my life. Within a couple of months, we all were looking in the eye of a major storm, the pandemic Coronavirus. This winter would continue for over two years and yet continues to this day. At that time, I knew God’s timing of Christal Clear 2020 Vision was for such a time as this.
For survival, I had to continuously dig deep and tap into His Spirit within to discover the strength of the gift of “Me.” You see, I am an extreme feeler, the magnitude of sickness and deaths of those I love and the strangers I never knew felt unbearable. Oh, the pain and heartbreak I felt for thousands daily, as I prayed, and mourned for each one. In this journey of rediscovery, I discovered Rhythm in my Blues. As I explored different experiences, techniques, and systems I found newness in “Life,” inner sunshine, growth, self-appreciation, peace, and harmony. I continue to discover so many cool and not-so-cool things about this Gift Called “Me.” My Rhythm in Blues adventures are transparent/clear, simple, and pure, that breathe Life, brings Joy, and creates Christal Clear Moments. My prayer is that as I continue the discovery of the Gift Called “Me” it will overflow to encourage others to take their journey of (re)Discovering the wonderful Gift of “You.”
Listed below are examples of my Rhythm in Blues Adventures, Techniques, and Systems
When you think of April, May, and June, you probably think of Spring, the time for deep cleaning, purging, and decluttering inside the house. Perhaps it’s you cleaning the yard, pulling out all the dead to make room for the new growth. I want to challenge you to flashback to the beginning of this year and look at the goals and aspirations you set for the year. Now take the following steps necessary to do a deep cleansing of the who(s) and what(s) that have caused distractions in life to get you off course. Make a list of what worked well and another list of what did not.
Ask these questions: How are things going? How, what, and where can I improve to better move toward the goal? What do I need to let go of? This will direct the areas of focus to optimize your “cleaning” efforts.
7 Steps to Self Cleaning
Rediscover the Gift Called “Me”
You are a gift to this world. You are special, uniquely made for such a time as this. Explore and discover something new about your awesomeness and what gives you inspiration and joy. Through prayer and spending quiet time with the Creator, reclaim your strength and inner peace. Get back to the precious gift that you call “Me”.
Clear your Mind
Woosah, clear your mind as much as possible. There is always so much going on inside our heads. Daily meditation is a wonderful way to clear your mind.
Check your attitude, you create more of what you think, your mindset is everything. It affects you and everyone else. Try journaling your thoughts, even if you must shred them because you cursed someone out. Be angry and sin not. Breathe and let that, Sh*t Go!!! You will feel much lighter. Get it out, if you do not it will create a stench, that is unbearable. Reality check: Stop trying to fit everything and everyone in, focus on priorities and release everything else that sucks the life out of you.
Clean up your Relationships
Look closely at all your relationships? How are they doing? You may need to end unhealthy relationships or reach out and reconnect with old friends. Are your loved ones your priority? How are you utilizing your time towards your relationships, is it quality? Are you present, mindful, multitasking (working), or on phone/social media?
Tidy Up Your Habits
What unhealthy habits do you need to eliminate before they cost you dearly? Replace them by focusing on building new positive habits.
Examine Your Healthily Living
Time to get physical. Do you have a fitness routine? Springtime is an exciting time to get outdoors, take walks and do some gardening. What are your fuel sources? Hydrate… I have an app that reminds me to drink water. I am working at responding timely to the alerts, as I build new habits. I find it helpful if I keep a water bottle near me. Increase your natural whole foods, fruits, and vegetables.
Get rid of the Clutter
Spring clean, all your spaces, the junk drawers, the closet (if it does not fit do not force it), the car, workspace, and all the spaces you spend time in. How many of the apps on your phone do you actually use? How many contacts and photos are on your phone that you do not need? What do your mail and emails look like? Have an unsubscribing session for those that no longer serve you. Delete!!! Delete!!! Delete!!! Unfriend and unfollow all negativity.
Polish your Finances
Yes, I am a witness that our God will make a way out of no way. But there is something called Stewardship. Are you a good steward of your finances? Is there a need to rob Peter to pay Paul? This means it is not enough money to go around, so you are taking from one source to pay another. Review and refresh your Financial Plan. Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Is the goal debt elimination, savings, retirement, home, travel, adjusting to living within your means, or all the above and then some? Take a close look at your money coming in and the money you got going out. How is it working for you? Is there a need to adjust your budget?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, it’s Springtime. Open up the windows of heaven and let your freshness blow, filling my mind with clarity. Let me experience the fragrance of your divine healing, emotional and physical. Help me to be the amazing gift that you created Called “Me”. Restore me, renew me, and cleanse me. I long to be a person after Your own heart, show me how I ought to live. Instruct me in Your ways, and walk beside me every moment of every day. ~ Amen
As we continue to journey into the year of 2021, it was pressed upon my heart that this should be the year that all of mine and your visions shall come to pass. In 2020 we had a time of rest, a time to reflect upon our visions. That is why I created the 2021 Visioning Worksheet, this was meant to help you manifest your goals in 2021. There are four sections contained within this worksheet and I will be giving you all a quick tour of how to use the worksheet to the best of its ability.
Let’s Start!
Self-Reflection
In the first part of the worksheet, I ask that you reflect upon 2020. This is your opportunity to just freewrite and allow for the thoughts that you may have had stored up through last year spill out on the page. Now is your time to release those visions, thoughts, questions and manifestations. Additionally, you are able to write down simply what you are looking to manifest in 2021, this could be a simple word, mission or an action.
2021 Manifestation Goal Setting
I am a big believer in setting SMART goals. I live by them actually, it really helps me to keep myself accountable by setting specific, measurable, achievable and time-specific goals. This second part of the worksheet is where you will keep yourself accountable. Be sure to refer to this section of the worksheet daily, weekly or monthly. Assess the 3 goals, let them be reminders that your goals are attainable and achievable this year because you planned well.
2021 Visioning Workbook – Manifest Your Goals
Enjoy this free download of the 2021 Visioning Worksheet. This 5-page booklet includes 3 worksheets that will help you to plan out your goals for 2021. Allow this to be the guide for the new year. After downloading you can print the pages and add them to your existing collection of The Gift of Called “Me”- 90 Day Planners. Or just use the worksheet on it’s own.
This is probably one of the hardest, but most freeing portions of the worksheet. I know that as I was working through this worksheet, I felt freed by confronting my negative and limiting thoughts. Truly, it is not our lack of motivation that gets in our way, it is the struggle to keep away those negative thoughts. I implore you pray and meditate on those challenges, negative or self-limiting thoughts that you may struggle with. RELEASE THEM! Those thoughts no longer have a place in your mind, heart or hands and to keep them from creeping back set 30, 60 and 90 day goals to rid yourself of them!
4.Vision Board
I love this part of the worksheet. Allow your creativity to shine. Use this space to place quotes or pictures that help you to visualize your goals. I am a firm believer that you can accomplish what you can’t envision.
“Write the vision, make it plain on the tablets, so he may run who reads it” – Habakkuk 2:2
