Let the New Year RING

I think its safe to say if you still have breathe in your lungs as this New Year rings you should give your self the most solid pat on the back. It has been a hard year for a lot of people, for a lot of different reasons. Loss, so much change, another year of the pandemic. It pealed our eyes open and showed us what really matters in life. Making us step back and appreciate the things we hold dear to us. It was a series of being broken and then rebuilt. Each month coming with its own Individual battle yet we seemly won them all. All twelve of them. I like to call us warriors. It seemed like every day we had to put on a shield of armor before stepping foot out the door to protect ourselves from all that was going on in the world around us. Honestly I didn’t think a year as bad as 2020 could be possible, nonetheless 2021 gave it its best shot. It just felt like a never ending realm of chaos. Ducking behind the corner peeking to see what was coming next. The world has changed completely in front of our eyes. These last two years have been life changing. Not only on a worldly scale but for me and I’m sure as many others on an internal scale. 

Personally I was taught so much this year. 2021 was most certainly the year of hard knock lessons. Lessons that broke me. Lessons that changed me. Lessons that renewed me. I lost myself and then found myself again. I learned the importance of true connection and community with those in my life and those that I meet. There is truly nothing more important than to surround yourself with people who genuinely love and support you. I partook in the process of stripping myself of every toxicity I allowed access to my life. It is not selfish to not associate with people, places or things that do not serve you. I had to discover it was the the key to self love and healing. I faced manipulation and deception face to face in someone who I gave my world too. I had to grasp what it was like to truly love myself and the power I hold, plus comprehend that no one has dominion over my worth. There is something so empowering about finding your worth and understanding that no ones words or actions have weight in anyway. I learned the actions that others do are more likely a result of an internal conflict they are facing than it has to do with me. 

It baffles me to sit and think about the amount of time I’ve spent overthinking a situation, an action, or a phrase someone said to me analyzing why they would have done or said what they did. We get so caught up seeking validation and acceptance from others we loose sight of the person we truly are within. Who we are is not defined by any exteriorly approval. Who we truly are is full of infinite possibilities and lies in the truth that there is not one person that will ever be you. Not a single soul. You are the only YOU that will ever exist. So why do we spend so much of our lives chasing the lives of other people? So much time scrolling and basing our value of who we are as a person off the likes we get on a post? Or settling because we don’t believe we can have or deserve better? Theres a certain way someone glows when they are authentically being themselves, basking in their quirkiness and embracing their perfectly imperfect flaws. Thats what im learning to step into, loving and finding my authentic self. It’s important more now than ever I think to allow ourselves to disconnect. Meditate. And ground ourselves back to the importance of life and real connection. 

The real win for me this year was being enlightened to the truth that everything you desire to be, the person you dream to exists as, the love you crave to have, the tribe of people and connections your seeking to create, the career you’d love to be in, the hobbies you only would dare to try in a fantasy is all at your finger tips. It’s available and ready. All you have to do is simply tap in. Tap into your greatness and stop settling for less than the bare minimum. Bet on your self and all the greatness you are. This year I began tapping into mine. And wow all the discoveries I found about myself that were buried under the limited beliefs I placed on my own life. One of my New Years resolutions of 2021 was to heal and love my self more. Through therapy I had a chance to go on a “40 day journey back to me” opportunity. The first 10 days were designated to the physical body, the next 10 to the emotional body, the next 10 following that to the mental body and the last 10 to the soul body. Giving focus and attention to every part of my being it allowed me to turn the light on myself and the areas that I needed to give a little bit more love to while also diving into to all the amazing things that make me who I am and the possibilities I hold. It was a transformative experience for me. 

I was taught strength, resilience, and perseverance in every area of my existence. I realized the love and the acceptance I was seeking to find was always within and seated with the Man most high. There is no one that will love yourself better than you can, so love yourself HARD. I made it a goal to speak loving, kind words to myself and give myself some grace. I began saying words of affirmation. Looking my self in the mirror speaking empowering, uplifting words. Im not going to lie it felt a little silly at first doing it but the more I did it the more belief was built behind those words. When we speak high vibrational words we become those high vibrations. We begin to believe the words we speak. Like Gandhi said it “Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” The power of your tongue is life or death. Lives change when life is spoken. 

Through this year I came to find out that no matter the situation I found myself in, it all in the bigger scheme of things is for a greater purpose. When I began to shift my thoughts and perspective to this new outlook it helps me stay grounded when life threw another one of its curve balls. When I accepted and understood that what is meant to be mine and nothing and no one could change that. It made losing what wasn’t for me so much easier- people leaving, the closing of doors, the false limited beliefs, the negative self talk, the comparison, the envy, the jealousy. This year taught me the importance to approach each situation with open eyes, ears and heart to be present in what it brings. It taught me to trust my intuition and learn to sit in lonely places to learn the lesson needed to rise to new heights. Even if it brings pain, there is strength that is built in the affliction. Strength that will slay any Goliath that steps foot in your way. Looking back on this year I can say It broke me but I can also turn right back around and say it then built me into far more of a women I thought I would be. I can say Im smarter, Im wiser, and Im stronger than I was entering this year. Brokenness allows something to be rebuilt. I found self love through the process of loosing myself. I deepened my relationship with God. I stepped through new doors relating to my painting abilities. I began travel nursing and gained greater confidence in who I am as a nurse. I moved to a brand new city all by myself. I embraced my healing journey fully. I tapped into new interest and new opportunities my future holds. Although it didn’t go at all what I had planned, the journey was one hell of a ride. 2021 forever shaped me, changed me and looking at the women I stand to be today I can only be thankful for each mountain I had to climb and every valley I had to cross through. 

Every new year brings a feeling of stepping into something new. A feeling of starting over or getting another chance. Stepping into 2022 I can not wait for the discoveries, the healing, the prosperity, the opportunities and even the hard knock lessons. Each year comes with mountain tops and valleys. However the seeds that were sown in 2021 will blossom in 2022. The strength that was gain in a year full of battles will carry through into each situation this new year brings. I pray for fulfillment, happiness, purpose, obedience, vision, protection, healing, heath and shifting of minds over this new year. Im not hiding this year. Im not hiding behind anyone else expectations of me. Im not dimming my light to make others more comfortable. I’m not lowering my voice. No matter the chaos that falls around I choose to enter this year expecting and seeking abundance and prosperity keeping my mind aligned and in tune with God. No weapon formed against us shall proser. 2021 thanks for the lessons and discoveries, 2022 lets see what you have in store. 

~B